Runaways: Sound
by AlphaMike369
Summary: Naruto and Hinata are fed up with how they're treated and decide to leave the village, where they met people who will shape their lives. Part of my Runaways series.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Welcome to the first chapter of runaway stories where Naruto and Hinata travel to one of the Hidden Villages! Each story will share this first chapter, but afterwards they diverge into different tales, and how the characters turn out will depend on where they go and who they met.

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine.

Chapter 1 Runaways

Naruto Uzumaki, age 7, orphan, has survived yet another beating at the hands of the villagers. And this was one of the bad ones. In the good ones, either the white-haired ANBU Dog or another named Weasel would stop them quickly, leaving Naruto with only a few bruises. But neither showed showed up today. In fact, the last time Naruto saw Weasel, he was leaving the village the night of the Uchiha Massacre. Strange.

So, without his protectors there was no one to stop the villagers from turning him into their personal punching bag.

Self-defense was out of the question! He tried that once, and suddenly HE was the aggressor, or at least that was how everyone else would see it. They already thought he was a monster for reasons unknown to him, no need to make it worse. Calling for help was a no go too! Almost everyone either ignored it or joined in.

As far as he knew, only five people cared for him: Dog, Weasel, Teuchi and Ayame from Ichiraku Ramen, and the Hokage. Months after the orphanage kicked him out, the Hokage got him a small apartment. It wasn't much, but it kept him dry when it rained and gave him a bed to sleep in. Teuchi and Ayame were the only ones who didn't kick him out of their venture nor did they overcharge him for rotten goods. It's one of the reasons Naruto always ate ramen. That and it was just so good!

None of the other kids hung out with him because their parents told them not too. Anyone whom he tried to get close to would either reject him or be pulled away from him. As a result, he had no friends.

Now the young blonde was limping home. The boy's nose was broken and bleeding, his right eye swollen and his green goggles broken. His white shirt was torn and covered in dirt and some blood stains. There were cuts and bruises on upper body, and Naruto could tell he had a few cracked ribs. His right shoulder was dislocated and his arms hung at his sides, also covered in bruises and cuts. His orange pants were also in tatters His left ankle was twisted so he had to shift his weight to his right.

Normally, when someone is injured like this, they go to the hospital, but Naruto wouldn't risk it. The doctors and nurses didn't like him either, which was why he always wanted someone he trusted to stay with him whenever he went. However, the Hokage was in an important meeting, and he had no idea where the others were since Ichiraku closed early that day.

By the time Naruto got home, most of his cuts and bruises were gone and he felt his ribs fixing themselves. He never understood where his healing factor came from, but he was thankful for it.

Before entering his apartment, Naruto slammed his dislocated shoulder against the door, popping it back into place. "Owwwww!" he yelled. Once he enter, he crashed onto his couch and grunted painfully as he worked on his ankle.

' _Why? I don't get it! Sure I've pulled a couple of pranks, but none of those justify this kind of punishment! Besides, they hated me before I started pranking, so what is it?'_

Naruto thought hard, but couldn't think of anything he did. And it infuriated him as much as it infuriated him that he was too weak to do anything about how he was treat. ' _One day, I'll be strong and people will acknowledge me for me and start treating me with respect!'_ Naruto thought optimistically.

' _But…'_ A thought suddenly crossed his mind. ' _I can't get stronger here. Not with the way people treat me. The teachers don't help me at all! And… I'm scared that one day, one of the villagers will actually kill me. Even if it's not their intention, one might accidentally go too far. I, I gotta leave.'  
_ -

"Get up!" Hiashi commanded as his eldest daughter laid on the ground. He had literally trained her to the ground and he was disappointed by her performance. "I said GET UP!"

"F-father… please" Hinata pleaded between breaths. Hiashi had been relentless the entire training session. A few of her chakra points were closed and his last blow damaged her lungs. "I… I can… b-barely… breathe… and… m-move."

"Is this all you've got? How disappointing! You're my heir and yet you're weaker than a Branch Family member!"

"I… I'm sor…"

"SILENCE!" Hiashi yelled. "You're always falling short! Your weakness is a disgrace! YOU are a disgrace! A disgrace to me, and a disgrace to our clan!" Hiashi turns away and stops at the door. "Take her to the doctor," he told the Branch member next to him. "I want her in healed in time for training tomorrow." The servant nodded and did as he was told.

Meanwhile Kō, Hinata's caretaker, approach the clan head. He had short, brown hair, white, pupil less eyes, and wore a black kimono. "Pardon me sir, but don't you think you're being a little, um, rough with her? She's only 7 after all."

"If she's to take my place as head of our clan, she needs to toughen up, or the elders will walk all over her," Hiashi answered.

"But calling her a disgrace? Don't you think that'll have an adverse affect on her?"

"On the contrary, it'll give her the motivation to prove me wrong. Now I have some work to do in my office." Hiashi walked away to his office.

' _I hope you're right sir, for Hinata's sake,'_ Kō thought.  
-

The doctors managed to reopen Hinata's chakra points and heal her lung. Luckily, it only sustained minor damage, though she was told not to do anything too strenuous for a while. Unfortunately, knowing her father, tomorrow he would be just as hard on her, if not harder.

Currently, she was in her room, sitting on her bed, crying as her father's words repeated in her head. " _You are a disgrace! Disgrace… Disgrace"_ That word echoed in her mind. Was she really that bad, that weak? Her father seemed to think so.

Or maybe it's something else. Is he mad at her for being kidnapped, like Neji? After all, it resulted in the death of his brother Hizashi. Or maybe he was taking out his frustrations from the loss of Hitomi.

Whatever the reason, Hinata couldn't take it anymore! ' _If, if all I am is a disappointment, then maybe I should leave! Yeah, I'll runaway! That way, I don't have to suffer anymore, and father doesn't have to deal with me.'_

Drying her tears, Hinata started to pack some clothes, then got ready for dinner. ' _I'll leave when it's dark, after dinner. It'll give me cover. And besides, it may be a while before I can take a nice hot bath and have a good meal.  
_ -

Naruto was dressed in his orange jumpsuit, a large, black bag slung over his right sholder. He pack a spare set of clothes, a canteen, his broken goggles, and as much instant ramen as he could fit in there as well as the supplies to cook it. The inside of his apartment was had a bunch of explosive tags he 'borrowed'. He didn't like doing it, but it was necessary since no one would sell him any, and not just because of his status in the village.

Now, Naruto waited near the gate in the shadows, out of sight. As he waited for for his distraction, he found himself thinking about what he was leaving. Despite the pain caused by the villagers, he had some good memories. Idle chat with old man Hokage, ramen at Ichiraku, ice cream with Weasel (though Weasel never had any), the time Dog got him his green goggles for his fifth birthday, the time he got orange paint all over Iruka-sensei, and sitting on top of the stone head of his idol, the Fourth Hokage.

It may be years before got to do any of that. But he made up his mind. He was gonna leave. He was gonna get stronger. And maybe one day, he'll return, if only to see the few friends he had. And eat tons of Ichiraku ramen of course.

Unbeknownst to him, however, another runaway was a short distance away.  
-

Hinata waited near Naruto's location in a similar fashion, though neither knew the other was there. She wore her cream-colored jacket and blue paints. Around her neck was a necklace with the Yin Yang symbol on it. It was given to her by her mother on her third birthday. She had a dark blue bag over her right shoulder with food, a canteen, colored contact lenses, spare clothes, her medical cream, a ruined red scarf, and a picture of her four year old self, her mother, and her father.

And now as she waited for an opening, she too thought about what she was leaving. Kō would have a heart attack when he learned of her departure. He had cared for her since she was nearly kidnapped. And then there was her little sister, Hanabi. She was only 2 years old and she was leaving her to their father.

But like Naruto, she made her decision and she was sticking to it. Besides, Hiashi seemed to favor Hanabi anyway.

Suddenly, an explosion could be heard in the distance, which drew the attention of most of the surrounding shinobi, leaving only two chunin to guard the gate. ' _Well, that was lucky. I wonder what's up with that explosion, though?'_

The two chunin looked in the direction of the explosion to see smoke rising. The one on the left had long, spiky, black hair, a bandage that ran over the bridge of his nose, and dark eyes. The other one had long, brown hair that covered his right eye, dark eyes, and wore his protector like a bandana.

"Hey, Kotetsu," the brown-haired one said. " What do you think that was?"

"No idea, Izumo," he answered. "Should we go check it out?"

"Course not! We have to guard the gate in case whoever did that tries to escape!"

Suddenly, they heard a noise to the far left. "What was that?" Kotetsu asked.

"Might be whoever is responsible for that explosion. Stay here! I'll go check." Shortly after Izumo left, Kotetsu heard another noise to the far right. "Huh, is there another one?" He left to check it out.

As soon as both chunin were out of sight, the two children ran to the gate. They froze once they saw each other.

' _Huh? Who is she and what's she doing here?'_ Naruto see the pack on her back. ' _Is she running away too?'_ Naruto thought.

Hinata, however, recognised him. "N-Naruto?!"

Before either could question the other's presence further, they heard the chunin returning and ran through the gate and out of sight. Once they were far enough away they stopped and turned to one another. "Ok, I think it's safe to stop here," Naruto said. Sitting on the nearest rock, he ask, "So, um, you know my name but I don't know your's. So, who are you?"

"O-oh, right. I, I guess I n-never told y-you my n-name last w-winter." Naruto was about to ask what she meant when he finally recognised her. Last winter, during on of the Hidden Leaf's rare snowy winters, he saw a couple of kids picking on her and told them to leave her alone. He pretended to perform a jutsu, then used the confusion to tackle the leader. The bullies dragged him off their leader then beat him up and ruined his red scarf before leaving. Hinata was about to thank him when Kō appeared and told Naruto to get lost. Hinata tried to protest, but Kō interrupted her and said there was something wrong with that boy and that she should stay away from him. He then told her it was time to go but before they left, she picked up Naruto's discarded scarf and took it with her. When asked why she had it, she'd say it was personal.

Back to the present, Hinata introduced herself. "I, I'm H-Hinata Hyūga." Naruto nodded and after a moment of silence, Hinata asked the question on both their minds. "Um, n-not that I m-mind your presence, but, um, w-why are you o-out here?"

"I could ask you the same thing," Naruto retorted. "I mean, don't you have a family?" Naruto didn't know much about the Hyūga, but he did know they were a big family, something he wished he had, or at least one family member. Not to mention well respected and rich. And there was one more thing. Some kind of power or something. "And what about you friends?" Hinata's face went from nervous to sad, which did not go unnoticed by Naruto. "Hey, if you don't want to talk about it…"

"N-no, it's fine." Hinata told a deep breath and continued. "W-well I am, err was, the heiress to the clan, meaning one day, I would have taken over one day."

"Woah, really? That sounds awesome!" Naruto said excitedly. He couldn't see why she would leave.

"Yeah, it does." Hinata said softly. "I u-use to be s-so excited about o-one day l-leading the H-Hyūga Clan. B-but for the last t-two years, my father h-has been, uh excessive, in his training methods."

"Excessive? What do ya mean by that?"

"Um, m-most sessions end with me p-passed out a-and taken to the d-doctor."

"WHAT?!" Naruto was outraged and made no effort to hide it. He always thought a father was suppose to protect and care for his children, not harm them. "Why would he do that?"

"Shhhh! Someone may hear us!" Naruto rubbed the back of his head and apologised. "A-as for w-why, I h-have a few suspicions, b-but the point is t-that to him I'm n-nothing but a disgrace." Hinata finished sadly.

"Well, I refuse to believe that! And I know you'll prove me wrong while we travel together!" Naruto said.

"T-t-travel, t-t-together?"

"Of course! No point in both of us leaving alone, ya know. I mean, I don't have anywhere specific to go," Naruto said, excited at the prospect of having a traveling companion and maybe a new friend. "Unless…" Naruto started.

"No, no, no!" Hinata quickly said, then she blushed in embarrassment at her small outburst. "I, I mean, I'd l-love to t-travel w-with y-you."

"ALRIGHT! We're gonna have lots of adventures and get real strong! Believe it!" Naruto shouted before doing a happy dance. Hinata couldn't help but giggled at his antics. Naruto managed to take away her worries, at least for the time being, and her crush on him seemed less then a crush (No, not love, not yet). Naruto then remembered Hinata said earlier about being quiet in case anyone was nearby. Smiling sheepishly, he apologised. "Opps. Sorry, forgot about keeping quiet."

Hinata performed a quick check with her Byakugan and saw no one else was around. "D-don't worry a-about it Naruto. Y-you didn't a-attract any u-unwanted a-attention." Naruto sighed in relief and started rummaging through his bag. Meanwhile, Hinata stared at him. "Um, Naruto?"

"Hm?"

"Y-you know why I l-left, but um, I d-don't know y-your reason."

Naruto's stopped what he was doing and sighed, , which made Hinata regret her words but before she could take them, he sat back down on the rock he was sitting on earlier. "Hinata, what do you know about me?"

Hinata thought for a moment, thinking back to all the things she heard about him, as well as her personal experience with him. "I know t-that you're an orphan, a-and that y-you l-like to p-pull pranks. And…" she sighed, "A-and for s-some reason, y-you aren't h-held in high r-regard in the village."

"That's putting it mildly," Naruto grumbled quietly, but Hinata still heard him and gave him a questioning look. "Let's just say you're not the who's been in need for medical attention often." he said, looking down.

Hinata's face was struck with horror. "You mean…"

Naruto nodded. "And it wasn't always drunks. A lot of them were very sober. And worse, when people passed by, they would either ignore it, cheer them on, or join in. In fact, in my entire life, I can count the people who care about me on one hand." He raised his hand to show her and started counting down those people. "Old man Hokage, Dog, Weasel," Hinata looked confused til Naruto told her they were ANBU, "Teuchi and Ayame from Ichiraku. That's it."

Hinata shook her head. "N-no, you have o-one more person," she said, blushing. Naruto looked confused and asked who else. "W-well, uh, m-me."

Naruto smiled. "Thanks Hinata."

She blushed deeper. "N-no problem. B-besides, I sh-should be t-thanking you for h-helping me l-last winter."

Naruto continued to look through his bag. "Damn it!"

"W-what's wrong Naruto?"

"Forgot my sleeping bag."

"Oh, s-same here." Hinata said as she thought back to what she packed.

"Oh well, we'll grab some camping stuff at the next town." Hinata nodded and the two of them slept and were lucky no one found them.  
-

"Report," the Hokage told the ANBU in front of him.

"Sir, the explosion was indeed located at the de… err Uzumaki's residence," the ANBU corrected. The Hokage caught it and gave him a glare but then just sighed and motioned for him to continue. "We search the wreckage but found no sign of a body, leading us to believe the child was not at home at the time." The Hokage sighed in relief. Naruto was fine, though homeless once again. He'd have to find him a new one, after punishing the ones responsible for blowing up the first one. "However," the ANBU continued. "We've searched the squad I sent to search for the boy came up empty handed."

"Are you sure the ANBU on that squad are reliable?" The ANBU knew what he meant. Hiruzen wasn't questioning their skill, but because Naruto was the Jinchūriki of the Nine-Tails, many of his shinobi proved to be unable to separate their duty from their personal feelings in regard to the boy.

"Dog is with them." Dog returned last night shortly before the explosion. In fact, he was in the middle of his mission debrief when Naruto's place exploded.

"Send him to me." The ANBU nodded and disappeared. He then dismissed his hidden bodyguards.

Minutes later, a man with white hair in ANBU armor and a white mask with red lines around the eye holes and two on each side in the middle. "Reporting."

Hiruzen activated the privacy seals in his office. "You can remove your mask, Kakashi." Kakashi nodded and took off his mask. He wore another mask, this one dark blue, that covered his lower face. He took out his forehead protector and wrapped it around his forehead, then lowered part of it to cover his scared, closed left eye. "I'm told you can't find Naruto."

Kakashi nodded. "My nin-dogs were unable to pick up his scent from his home due all the smoke, ash, and residue. It has been determined that the explosion was caused by about ten paper bombs."

"Yes, and thankfully there's no evidence that Naruto was in there when it happened. Hopefully, we find him soon and catch whoever is responsible.

"About that." The Hokage raised his eyebrow. "During our search, a shop keeper came up to us to report some stolen explosive tags. When asked who he thought was the culprit, he said Naruto." The Hokage scoffs. It wouldn't be the first time someone accused Naruto of a crime he didn't commit. "I doubted it too, at first. But then he told me how many were missing. Ten. And he claimed Naruto attempted to buy them earlier. Coupled with the fact that he's nowhere in the village and there has been no trace of an infiltration…"

"Are you saying what I think you're saying, Kakashi."

"Yes, I am," Kakashi said solemnly. "Naruto may have left the Hidden Leaf. The question is why."

"I'm afraid the answer is quite obvious. The village has completely disregarded Minato's dying wish to have his son seen as a hero. And the few people who do haven't been able to be there for him often. I've been busy as Hokage and you've been busy with the ANBU. And then there's Itachi's betrayal," The Hokage said. A part of him wanted to tell Kakashi the truth of the Uchiha Massacre, but Itachi was adamant that no one know the truth, not even Kakashi, Naruto, and his little brother Sasuke.

"Damn it!" Kakashi said, temporarily forgetting he was in the presence of a Kage. "I've been so busy wallowing in self-pity and throwing myself into my work, that I failed to be there properly for his only child. Sure I was there a few times, but…"

"Enough Kakashi!" Hiruzen shouted. "We're both guilty of failing Naruto. I couldn't keep the fact that he's a Jinchūriki a secret from the public like I did with Kushina. Or like my predecessor, the First Hokage, did with his wife. If I had, things would have been different. But that's neither here nor there! Right now, we need to focus on finding him before anything happens, and I don't need you stuck in regret. So as of right now, your mission is to find Naruto and return him safely to the Leaf!"

"Yes, Lord Third!" And with that, Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves.

The Third Hokage sighed and looked out the window. ' _Naruto, where did you go?'  
_ -

"Kō, please fetch Hinata. She's late for breakfast." Kō nodded and headed for Hinata's room. Hiashi was at the dining room table with Hanabi eating breakfast. Minutes passed before Kō rushed back into the room, a panicked look on his face and a piece of paper in his hand. "What's wrong?" Hiashi asked as he brought his fork up.

"Hinata's gone!"

Hiashi dropped his fork. The noise it made was the loudest thing in the room. Finally, Hiashi spoke. "What do you mean she's gone?" he demanded.

Kō handed him the piece of paper in his hand. It was a letter from Hinata

 _Dear Father,_

 _By the time you read this, I will be gone. I'm sorry but I couldn't take it anymore. The pressure, the injuries, it was too much. I don't know if you're mad at me for the kidnapping or something, so I apologise for anything I did. And don't worry, I took colored contact lenses to hide my Byakugan, so if anyone sees me, none of them will know about my eyes and take them. I don't know if I'll ever return. If not, I want to say that even though you haven't been these last two years, I still love you, father, and I'll miss you. Tell Hanabi and Kō I'm sorry for leaving and that I'll miss them too._

 _Love,_

 _Hinata_

Hiashi's eyes widened as he read Hinata's letter. "Father, what did Kō mean? Is sister not here?"

"Finish your breakfast." Hiashi commanded before motioning for Kō to follow him. They went into his office. Activating his privacy seals, he turned to Kō. "I need you to gather some trustworthy men and find her. And make sure to keep it quiet. I don't want the elders finding out, or they'll use it as an excuse to seal her." Kō nodded and left while Hiashi plopped down into his chair. ' _Hinata, where did you go?'  
_ -

Hinata woke up, wondering why her bed was so hard. Then she looked around and remembered her situation. She had run away and by coincidence, ended up traveling with her crush. Naruto was still asleep and muttering something about ramen, which caused Hinata to giggle.

A few minutes later, Naruto woke up. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he looked around and saw Hinata with something in her hands. "Morning, Hinata."

Hinata turned around and started blushing. "Oh, g-good m-morning."

"Whatcha doin?" Naruto asked.

"J-just putting on t-these c-colored contacts," Hinata answered.

"Oh that reminds me! I was wonder, what's up with those weird eyes of yours?" Hinata looked down, depressed that Naruto thought her eyes were weird. When Naruto noticed this, he quickly added, "I didn't mean it in a bad way! I mean, my whisker marks are kinda weird, but that doesn't mean there's something wrong with that."

"I k-kinda think they m-make you l-look cute," Hinata said, too quietly for Naruto to hear.

"Hm, what was that?"

"N-nothing. A-anyway, my c-clan possesses a kekkei genkai." Naruto looked confused. "T-they're abilities that are p-passed down and can't be t-taught. My kekkei genkai i-is called t-the Byakugan. M-my eyes g-give me near 360 degree v-vision, see t-through most s-solid objects, and see c-chakra."

"Woah, your eyes are awesome!" Naruto shouted, making Hinata turn red as a tomato. "Wait, so why are you hiding them?"

"L-like I said, only the Hyūga h-have the Byakugan. A-and because of t-that, people c-come after o-our eyes." Naruto grew angry at that. "I n-need to h-hide my e-eyes so as n-not to a-attract attention."

"Who would dare try to hurt you for your eyes?" Naruto said angrily. It sickened him to think of the lengths people would go to for power.

"W-well, the H-hidden Cloud tried w-when I was 5. B-but my father stopped m-my kidnapper."

"Alright, I see your point. I'd hate for anything to happen to you." Hinata blushed red once more, then finished. Now her eyes were dark purple with pupils.

"So, um w-where are we going Naruto?"


	2. Chapter 2 Meeting the Snake

A/N: The votes are in. Most of you agreed to this. Naruto and Hinata will become Sound shinobi! And here's how it happens. Remember to review.

Chapter 2: Meeting the Snake

Naruto and Hinata were hitchhiking with a small merchant caravan bound for the Land of Rice. Hinata was sitting in a wagon gazing around while Naruto, unable to sit still, ran around looking at the different items the merchants intended to sell when they reached their destination. Hinata looked ahead and saw a downed tree blocking their path. The moment the caravan stopped, a group of bandits emerged, fifteen in all, and began their raid. The seven guards the caravan hired moved to the defense.

One of the bandits went after Hinata. "Come here girly," he said, sword in hand. Hinata backed away until one of the caravan guards stabbed the bandit in the back.

"Run now! Get out of here, quick! I don't know if GAH!" He fell forward dead with an ax embedded in his back. Hinata screamed but it went nearly unheard in the sounds of battle (She's still only 7 and has barely begun her ninja training). She wanted to run as told but first she had to look for Naruto.

Speaking of which, he was frozen stiff at what was happening. The bandit raid brought back some bad memories of when the villagers attacked him. He was snapped out of it, however, when he heard Hinata scream. He rushed over to her position, where he saw her activate her Byakugan.

She turned to face him and ran to him. "Naruto! We have to get out of here!" Naruto wanted to argue, that they should help, but Hinata shook her head. "I w-want to help too, but… As we are now, w-we'd only be in t-the w-way."

A few seconds later, Naruto sighed in agreement. He hate to admit it, but Hinata was right. They were too weak to win this fight, and he hated it. ' _Damn it, I need to get stronger, so I can protect everyone.'_ Hinata was also lamenting her weakness.

Following Hinata, who used her eyes to avoid the bandits, they slipped into the woods seemingly undetected. Once there, she cut the flow of chakra to her eyes. And once they thought they were far enough, stopped to rest and catch their breaths. After a few minutes, Naruto got up and said, "Ok, I think we got away. We should keep moving."

Hinata nodded and got up too. But as soon as Naruto turned his back on her, bandits who had followed them grabbed Hinata from behind. "Lookie what we got here, boys. Didn't think we noticed those veins around your eyes, did you? Ha, the Hidden Cloud will pay handsomely for you."

Hinata's eyes grew wide with fear. She was being kidnapped again, for the same reason! She struggled, trying to break free but his grip was too tight. She couldn't escape. "Let me go! Let me go! LET ME GO! NARUTO HELP ME!" she cried as tears left her eyes.

"HINATA!" Naruto ran to her, but one of the bandits intercepted him and punch him in the gut. Naruto when down and before he could get up, the bandit kicked him again and again, repeatedly.

Hinata watched in tears as her crush was kicked hard. And what she heard next nearly broke her. "Oi, what do we do with him?" the bandit kicking Naruto asked.

"He's worthless. Kill him and I'll make sure she watches," the bandit holding her said.

"No please! I go with you! I'll do whatever you want just please let him go!" Hinata begged. If she couldn't save herself she'd at least save Naruto.

"Aww, how cute. She thinks she's got a choice," the bandit next to her mocked, eliciting laughter from the others.

The bandit who had been kicking Naruto kneeled down and grabbed him by the back of his jumpsuit and lifted him slightly. Holding a war ax to his neck, he whispered, "Don't worry. We'll take good care of your girlfriend before we hand her over. Real good care." He lifted his weapon, ready to decapitate the blond.

Naruto heard it all. The bandit's whisper, the others' laughter, and Hinata, crying and begging them to let him live. ' _Why am I… too weak. Hinata… I have to… save her. I WILL save her.'_ "I'M NOT GONNA LET YOU HURT HER!" Naruto yelled as red chakra entered his system, causing a small shockwave that blew the bandit near him away.  
-

A figure was walking through the woods, wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it. His partner had gone looking for 'material' for his 'art'. Soon, he felt a surge of unusual chakra. ' _Interesting,'_ he thought as he went toward the source.  
-

Hinata and the two other bandits looked in shock as they saw Naruto stand, his features changing. His fingernails grew, his canine teeth grew sharper, his whisker marks became bolder, and his eyes became red with slitted pupils. A red aura surrounded him.

Snapping out of it the bandit not holding Hinata charged, ready to swing his short sword. "Brat, take this!" Naruto rushed to meet him at a surprising speed, leaped into the air, did a front flip, and bringing his foot on top of the bandit's head. That sent the man face down in the ground, unconscious. The bandit knocked back by the shockwave recovered and swung his ax at him. Naruto dodged each attack and punch him in the head, knocking the bandit into a tree, now unconscious as well.

The bandit who held onto Hinata dropped her and was wide eyed at seeing a kid take down two of them so easily. He turned to run, but Naruto had other plans. With his new speed, the bandit only made it a few feet before Naruto pounced on top of him and started strangling him. The bandit struggled but it was no use, Naruto had him. Soon his lungs screamed from the lack of oxygen and his vision started to fade.

Hinata looked surprised and scared at seeing Naruto like this. ' _This isn't him. It can't be him! Something must be happening to him.'_ "Naruto that's enough! Please stop! Naruto!"

Her pleas brought Naruto out of his feral state and, realising what he was doing, released the bandit. ' _What… happened? Why did I…'_ Horrified by his actions, he got off the bandit and ran off, his features returning to normal.

Hinata ran after him. Leaving the three bandits. She caught up to find him huddled down holding his head.

' _What the hell happened to me? Last thing I remember, I was about to die and suddenly I'm trying to kill one of them? And what about the rest? Did I… kill them too? They tried to take Hinata away, but…'_ Naruto thought of something. ' _Have I done this before? Is that why everyone hates me?'_ And finally he realized Hinata had seen the whole thing. ' _Damn it! I must have scared. I finally make a friend my age and I blow it!'_

"Um N-Naruto? A-are you o-okay?" Hinata asked the blond. She knelt down beside him, her face showing concern.

"I… I don't know what happened to me. The whole thing is a blur. I seriously don't know what came over me."

"I believe y-you. It was… s-scary, s-seeing you l-like that." Naruto got depressed. "B-but I know it wasn't you!" Hinata quickly added. "A-and besides, y-you saved m-me, so um…" Hinata got up and bowed. "Thank you, Naruto."

Naruto gave her a small smile. He hadn't lost his friend after all. She still wanted to be with him. Although they were both still curious what is was that caused Naruto to change. ' _Maybe we'll find out someday.'_

Naruto got up and turned around. His eyes widened and he push Hinata out of the way and the bandit Naruto choked earlier swung his sword. Naruto narrowly dodged the blade, only to be grabbed and brought face to face with the man. "I don't know what the hell you are boy, but nothing's gonna stop me from selling that Hyūga and getting rich." He threw Naruto down on the ground and brought his blade down. Hinata got up to rush to his side, but she wasn't gonna make it in time. The blade came closer and closer until...

"Striking Shadow Snakes!"

Less than an inch from the boy's face the blade stopped. The bandit was bound by multiple snakes, one of which was wrapped around his neck tightly. Behind the bandit where the snakes originated from was a man in a black cloak with red clouds. His skin was very pale, practically white and his hair was long and black. His eyes were golden with slitted pupils, like that of a snake, and surrounded by purple markings. "Oh, don't mind me. I'm just finishing what you started." The snake tightened its grip on the bandit's neck as he struggled for freedom. Eventually, his eyes rolled to the back of his head and he stopped struggling. The snakes released him and returned to their master, while the bandit fell dead.

The snake man stepped toward the two children, who instinctively stepped back. "Oh, don't be like that. I did save your lives after all."

"Thanks, but why?" Naruto asked.

"Because you two have me curious. A young main branch Hyūga and the Nine-Tails Jinchūriki traveling alone, far from their home village. Now that's something don't see everyday," he said with a smirk.

"W-what do you mean, 'Nine-Tails'? The Fourth killed it." Naruto said, worried about what that meant about him.

"So, sensei never told you. No surprise really." He looked at the two of them with a grin that gave them goosebumps. "Would you like to know the truth." Though he had a feeling he wouldn't like it, curiousity ate at him. He had to know what he was and what this man meant by Nine-Tails Jinchūriki. So he nodded. "First, let me tell you about tailed beasts. There are nine in all in increasing tail number, from the One-Tail to the Nine-Tails. They are the living embodiment of chakra in physical form and cannot die. Defeated, controlled, and sealed away yes, but not killed. Even if one were able to destroy their physical bodies, they would just reform in an indeterminate amount of years. And despite all his power, the Fourth could not do so. I wasn't there when the Nine-Tails attacked the village, so I don't know all the details, but what I do know is that he died sealing the Nine-Tails," the man looked straight at Naruto, "into a newborn child."

To say he was shocked was an understatement. Was that what he felt earlier, the Nine-Tailed Fox demon he had heard so many stories about. Who killed so many people, possibly even his own parents. The young Uzumaki felt his knees go weak. He almost collapsed, but was held up by an unexpected source.

Hinata had been surprised to hear Naruto held one of the most powerful and feared demons in the world. She remembered when he when feral and beat those bandits, and that had scared her. But she also remember how he had saved her from those bullies, how they told each other a bit about what they went through back home. Naruto never elaborated when he mentioned the villagers physical abuse, but in her mind, if he really was a dangerous demon, wouldn't the population of the village have dropped? She turned to the blond and saw how hard the news hit him and how close he was to collapsing, so ignoring her shyness, she put an arm around him to keep him up. "Y-you're not a demon," she whispered. "If what he said is true, t-then that makes y-you a hero in my book." Naruto looked at her in surprise, but smile when he saw she meant what she said, causing her to blush.

"Now then, I believe it's only fair you give me some information," the man said. "For starters, your names."

Naruto shook Hinata's arm off, letting her know he was ok for now. "I'm Naruto Uzumaki, and I'm gonna be greater than all the Hokage, believe it!"

' _Looks like him, acts like her. Guess I was right about his parentage,'_ the man thought as he turned to the girl.

"Um, I, I'm Hinata H-Hyūga, pleased to meet you Mr. um…"

"My name will come later. For now, I'd like to know why you left the village."

"Wait, why do you want to know that?" Naruto asked, wonder what this guy's game was.

"I told you, curiosity, that's all." the man answered. He listened as they told him that they weren't exactly treated kindly, mentioning they often need medical care after harsh training that never really taught anything, in Hinata's case, and mindless beating for being something he never had a choice in, in Naruto's case. After hearing what happened to Naruto, he shook his head. Not over what the villagers did to him, but over how far his sensei has fallen if he was unable to control his village like a Hokage should, in his opinion. "Seems old age is taking it's toll on sensei."

"Um, who's this sensei you keep mentioning?" Naruto asked. Hinata was also curious.

"You know him well, Naruto. After all, he is Hokage." As he spoke and while the children processed that he was once the student of the Third Hokage, his mind was ablaze with possibilities. The organization he was currently with, the Akatsuki, wanted the tailed beasts. Capturing Naruto may help him get closer to the higher ups and make it easier to learn their dirty little secrets. Though there was no guarantee and he wasn't exactly eager to help them. Besides, he had faith his own agent could do the job fine. The Nine-Tails would make inhabiting the boy's body difficult too. He could experiment on the Hyūga girl's eyes. Though she seemed too weak and would probably die before he learned anything interesting. And while a corpse told much, a living body told more. Plus this meant she wasn't really a candidate for a future body either. He could trade her to the Cloud in exchange for their support in his future plans against the Leaf, though the Raikage wasn't one who was eager to work with rogue shinobi such as himself. There was one idea that did interest him.

"Come with me," he said suddenly.

"Huh, why? Wait, are you gonna take us back?" Naruto asked, grabbing Hinata's hand and got ready to run.

"No, I am no longer affiliated with that place. But tell me, you say you want to be greater than the Hokages. Correct?" Naruto nodded. "I can help with that."

"Really?" Naruto's eyes lit up, ' _If he was trained by the Hokage, he must be really strong!'_

Hinata, however, was not excited. Hearing that he was trained by the Hokage, she assumed he was one of the Legendary Sannin. And if he was no longer a Leaf shinobi,..

"W-wait, Naruto," she said tugging at him as she backed away, pointing at the man. "Y-you're the r-rogue S-Sannin, Orochimaru!"

"My reputation precedes me," Orochimaru said. "Indeed, I am a rogue. But you are as well. If you were to return, you" he pointed to Naruto, "would be locked up or taken by Danzo to be one of his emotionless tools. And you" he turned to Hinata, "would be stripped of your title and sealed."

Hinata realised he was right. There was no way she'd be forgiven for her actions. She had put the clan's kekkei genkai at risk, even if she did try to hide it. After all, those bandits found out about her eyes. If she ever returned home, she would not only lose her title and be sealed, but she'd be an outcast, even more so than before.

Naruto didn't know who this Danzo guy was, but there was no way he'd be some emotionless tool or locked up somewhere. "Wait, why would they do that? I mean yeah, I have the Nine-Tails, but so what? If anything, I bet the villagers are celebrating my absence." He spat that last part out with venom.

"Yes, the ignorant masses would react that way, but to the higher ups, your role is more than being a prison." Naruto looked at him confused. "You are not the only jinchūriki in the world. In fact, you're not even the only one to have contained the Nine-Tails." Naruto was surprised. He assumed his case was unique. "You see, the process started when the First Hokage's wife sealed the fox in herself. After that, the First Hokage gathered the tailed beasts and gave them to the other hidden villages, who then sealed them into other people, some willingly and some forcibly. And the only ones not treated as outcasts were the ones who were kept secret." Orochimaru smirked at the children's reaction. "You see, you are not only a jailer, but a weapon to maintain the balance of power.

Naruto and Hinata couldn't believe their ears. The First Hokage, one of their role models started a process that forced people into a fate where they are turned into weapons and made outcasts in their own village. "S-so what, y-you're different?" Hinata asked, trying to sum up as much courage as she can. "W-what do y-you want w-with us?"

"Simple, really. I've decided to see if your worth keeping around," Orochimaru said. "A Hyūga and a jinchūriki may prove useful. You're free to refuse, of course. But…" he said before either could reject, "let me tell you what I can offer. Power, of course. My training will ensure that." ' _If you survive.'_ "I can also keep your enemies off your backs."

"What enemies?" Naruto asked.

"You see this cloak." The snake sannin gestured to his attire. "This is the cloak of an organization called the Akatsuki, a group of powerful S-rank missing nins, including myself. Personally, I have no interest in their end game, but they do have some interesting characters." ' _Like Itachi and his evolved Sharingan, or Pain, that orphan Jiraiya took in, and his Rinnegan.'_ "So I joined them. And once I've got all I need, I'll leave."

"What does the Akatsuki have to do with us?"

"They want the tailed beasts." Orochimaru answered. "And as of yet, there is no way to safely extract a tailed beast from its host." Their eyes grew. "As a member, I can keep you hidden from them. And even when I'm done with them, I'm an expert at staying under the radar."

"I'm sure one of the other villages will keep us safe and make us strong," Naruto argued. After Hinata had brought up that he was a rogue, meaning he betrayed the old man, his interest went into decline.

"Oh, but I have one more thing." Orochimaru said with a smirk." Something very precious to you. Something you won't get anywhere else. You two join me, and Naruto, I'll tell you about your dear parents."

"You know who my parents were?!" Naruto shouted. This was something he's wanted to know for years! Something, anything about his mom and dad. But the Third Hokage would only tell him that they died during the fox's rampage. "Who were they?" Naruto demanded.

"Uh uh uh. First you must agree to work with me. And if you think you can trick me, don't bother. If you betray me, you'll regret it." Orochimaru promised. "So, what's it gonna be?"

Naruto's mind was in turmoil. He desperately wanted to know who his parents were. What orphan didn't? And he did believe Orochimaru was capable of helping them get stronger. And he needed to if he wanted to fulfill his dream and also protect Hinata. On his own, he was completely helpless to save her. Only when he accidentally used the fox demon's power was he able to do anything, and he ended up scaring her.

However, he wasn't sure he wanted to work for a guy like Orochimaru. After all, he did betray the old man. And he had no idea what kind of person he was.

Hinata was wondering what to do too. She wanted Naruto to learn about his parents, but she had heard about Orochimaru. Not much, but from what she was told, he was caught doing some strange experiments. Bad enough to get him chase away by the Hokage and another Sannin. But, then again, his offer was tempting. She was helpless against those bandits and Naruto almost paid the price for her weakness. She wanted to get stronger, so she could stand by him.

"Tick tock. I won't wait forever you know. This is your one chance." Orochimaru said.

"One sec," Naruto cried out and leaned toward Hinata to whisper to her. "I kinda have my doubts about him, but… I think we should go with him."

Hinata looked at him and agreed. "W-we really d-don't have a-anywhere else t-to go, I guess. B-but w-we should be c-careful." Naruto nodded.

"Well, I guess you don't want to come with me. Very well, I'll be on my way." He turned away and started to walk. He wasn't really leaving them, but he wanted to rush their decision so they would agree before they had too many doubts.

"Wait! We'll go with you," Naruto shouted as he ran toward him dragging a blushing Hinata with him.

Neither noticed Orochimaru's smirk. ' _This will be interesting.'  
_ -

Alpha: What do ya think?

Orochimaru: Not bad. You didn't do a terrible job with me.

Sasuke: They have no idea what they're in for, do they?

Alpha: Nope. How was training with Orochimaru anyway?

Sasuke: Effective.

Alpha: You wanna elaborate?

Sasuke: No.

Alpha: _sighs_ You wanna tell me that you worked on with him Orochimaru?

Orochimaru: I see no reason why not. I had him sign the snake contract then practice some snake related jutsu. We moved on to kenjutsu, where I gave him his blade, then worked on his change in chakra nature, specifically his lightning nature. I also made sure he'd use his head when he finally fought Itachi. But apparently he did some training in secret, 'cause I'd never seen him use chidori spear until he used it on me. Oh, don't worry Sasuke, there are no hard feelings.

Sasuke: Um, good, I guess.

Alpha: Guess I better get working on the next chapter. Until then.


	3. Chapter 3 Tracking Them Down

A/N: And our story continues. Orochimaru has convince them to work for him. But it seems others have taken notice to Naruto's outburst. Remember to review people. And tell other Naruto fans you know.

Chapter 3: Tracking Them Down

Kakashi disposed of the last bandit and looked at the remains of the merchant caravan. "Well, that's the last of them," he told the survivors. "See ya." He disappeared in a puff of smoke.  
-

Kakashi received the memories from his clone and was glad to see the bandits were stopped, though unfortunately not without casualties. Right now he was at the spot he felt the Nine-Tails chakra at. When he arrived he found two unconscious bandits, one face-first into the ground and one laying against a tree. One woke up and Kakashi tried to interrogate him, only for the bandit to try a desperate attack. Kakashi quickly lodged a kunai in his neck, then threw another one in front of the other bandit, who tried to crawl away. Kakashi walked over to him, removed his ANBU mask, and squatted down. "Mind telling me what happened?" Though his voice sounded friendly, his face told the bandit he'd be in a lot of trouble if he didn't answer.

"I-it was a demon! A demon in human form. He looked like a normal boy, 'cept for his whisker marks. H-he had a girl with him, a Hyūga without a seal."

' _A Hyūga? Naruto has a main branch Hyūga with him?'_ "Are you sure about that?"

The bandit nodded furiously. "I saw the veins around her eyes myself when she tried to escape undetected during our last hit. T-they looked about the same age. We had her then, the boy, he changed. He had this red aura about him. And his features looked different, a-almost fox like."

' _There's no doubt about it. Naruto must have unconsciously used the fox's chakra. I guess that's a good thing, since it's leading me to him. I just hope I find him before the trail goes cold.'_ "Where did he go?" Kakashi demanded.

"I don't man, he knocked me out. That's all I know, I swear!" the bandit pleaded. Kakashi sighed and got up. He turned his back to the bandit, only to get an ax in his back. "Ha! Got ya! Your bounty will make me rich Copy Ninja Kakashi!" He didn't notice Kakashi turn into a log, nor the shurikens until they embedded themselves in his back.

Kakashi jumped down from the tree he was in, his mask back in place. "Too bad, I was gonna let you go." Biting his thumb, he performed a few hand signs then thrusted his hand onto the ground. "Summoning Jutsu!"

There was a puff of smoke and a small, brown pug with a dark brown snout. He had on a blue vest and a Hidden Leaf headband on his head. "Yo, Kakashi. Any leads on Naruto?"

"Yeah, I sensed the Nine-Tails chakra earlier and it lead me to this spot. I was able to learn that Naruto was here, along with a Hyūga. Think you can find their scent, Pakkun?"

"Yeah, I should be able to." Pakkun sniffed around the area. "I've got three scents. One smells like he hasn't bathed in weeks, pee yew. Another smells like lavenders and the other is a combination of fox and… ramen?"

"Definitely Naruto." Kakashi chuckled to himself. He wasn't surprised since ramen seemed to be all he ever ate. "Lead the way."

Kakashi followed the little dog until they came to a clearing. There they found another bandit on the ground. He checked his body and found the bandit was dead. "There's bruising around his neck, and no other injuries. Most likely he was strangled to death. Did Naruto do this?"

"Oh, no." Pakkun said. "Kakashi, get a whiff of this."

Though his sense of smell was inferior compared to trained nin-dogs like Pakkun, it rivaled that of many Inuzukas. "That smell, it's…"

"Snakes," Pakkun finished dejectedly. "And that means…"

"Orochimaru."  
-

"Come on! Tell me who my parents are!" Naruto demanded.

"Patience. Once we arrive at my hideout, all will be revealed," Orochimaru assured. "And keep quiet unless you want to attract the attention of Leaf shinobi."

"Huh?" Naruto said.

"Do you really think I'm the only one who noticed you little surge of power. I'm sure sensei sent someone to recover his little weapon."

"Who you calling a weapon? I'm a person, damn it!" Naruto yelled, enraged.

"What did I say about being quiet?"

"Um, N-Naruto? I, I think m-maybe y-you should l-lower y-you v-volume, j-just till we're s-safe," Hinata said. ' _Or as safe as can be traveling with a rogue shinobi. And a Sannin at that.'_ She still had some doubts, but it was too late to back out now.

"Yes, listen to the girl." Naruto huffed but didn't speak. "Besides, I told you, to the leaders of the village, you're nothing more than a weapon. Otherwise you'd have been killed the moment the demon was sealed in you."

"But the old man didn't treat me like a weapon. He treated me like a person," Naruto argued.

"We'll continue this conversation later. Right now, we're here." They exited the forest and arrived at a large lake. "Follow me." Orochimaru dived into the water, Naruto and Hinata looked at each other for a moment before diving after him. Once in the water, they followed him into an underwater cave. Just as the two were running out of oxygen, they saw the snake sannin swim upwards and did the same, surfacing. The area was small, lit by torches. Getting onto dry land, it looked like there was no where to go until Orochimaru channel chakra to his hand and a hole appeared forming a doorway. "Children first."

Naruto thought it was cool how he made a doorway appear like that and quickly enter. The sooner they got in, the sooner he could learn about his parents. Hinata followed after him, but was more hesitant. Orochimaru entered last and the hole closed up. "Alright, we're here! Now will you tell me about my parents? Who were they? What were they like?" Naruto was so giddy he felt like he was about to burst.

Orochimaru felt a headache come one. ' _Like mother, like son.'_ "I suppose a deal's a deal. First, tell me what you know about Fourth Hokage Minato Namikaze."

Naruto frowned. What did the Fourth Hokage have to do with his parents? Unless… ' _Maybe they were friends of the Fourth! Awesome!'_ "Ok, he was, well, the fourth Hokage after the old man. He was really fast so he had the nickname 'The Yellow Flash', and he sealed the Nine-Tails in me." That last part caused him to frown again. It annoyed him that his idol had sealed the demon in him. ' _Why did it have to be me? Not that I would wish the hell that was my life on anyone else but still… Why did it have to be me? Why was I so unlucky?'_

Orochimaru smirked. "Here's something you don't know. He was secretly married to a woman from a clan now gone with it's remaining members scattered to the winds. And he had a single child. A son."

"What?! The Fourth Hokage had a son?! Who?" Naruto wondered if he'd seen him before.

"Here's a hint. Minato's two most distinctive features were his spiky blond hair and blue eyes." The snake sannin frown as Naruto thought hard thinking who he might have seen that looked like that. ' _Not exactly the sharpest kunai in the pack. I'll have to work on that. I don't need anymore dumb brutes.'_ He looked at the girl, who stared in shock at her blond companion. ' _Seems she got it though.'_

Indeed, as soon as Orochimaru told her what the Fourth Hokage looked like, she instantly put two and two together. ' _Naruto is… Naruto is... '_ "Naruto is the son of the Fourth Hokage!" She accidentally said aloud.

Naruto looked at her wonder why she thought that when he realised… ' _I have spiky blond hair and blue eyes!'_ "I'm the son of the Fourth Hokage!" he shouted with glee. "I mean, wow! I don't believe it! I'm the son of the Yellow Flash, the man who's one of the strongest of the Hokage and, and…" Naruto lost his glee and the smile on his face disappeared. "And the one… who sealed the Nine-Tailed Fox in me."

"Yes. I was surprised myself." Orochimaru said. "I wonder, did Kushina let him or did she died before she could stop him?"

"Kushina?"

"Yes, your mother. Kushina Uzumaki." Naruto listened intently to him. Hinata too. "She was sent to the Hidden Leaf Village shortly before the destruction of her own village, the Hidden Whirlpool. As an outsider, she was an outcast in the village." Naruto was angry hearing this. The village not only made him feel unwelcome, but his mother too. "Sometime later, she was kidnapped by Cloud shinobi."

"S-she was k-kidnapped too?" Hinata asked. She knew what it was like to be taken against your will and was saddened to hear Naruto's mother was nearly kidnapped too. Naruto's anger grew. "W-why?"

"Your mother had very special chakra. Not only could she form chains with them, but she could suppress the power of a tailed beast." Orochimaru said as he kept his right hand behind his back. "Very useful, considering what the Leaf did to her."

"What? What did they do to her? What the hell did they do to my mom?" Naruto shouted.

Orochimaru inwardly smirked. "They to her what your father did to you."

Naruto's eyes widened and rage filled him. "THEY MADE MY MOM A JINCHŪRIKI?" Red chakra passed through the seal and Naruto started to change.

However, Orochimaru was ready. "Five Pronged Seal!" Lifting Naruto's shirt up to reveal the Fourth Hokage's seal, he slammed his fingers on it and applied his own. The red chakra stopped flowing and was gone. Naruto, however, collapsed and was rendered unconscious.

"Naruto!" Hinata cried out as he rushed to his side.

"He'll be fine. I merely stopped him from drawing on the Nine-Tails chakra. I'll remove the seal later. For now, we wait until he wakes up. The rooms are down the hall and to the right. I'll be by later when he wakes to explain how things will be from now on." Orochimaru walked down the hall, then turned left while Hinata carried Naruto, who was lighter than she expected, to one of the rooms. It was pretty bland. There were no decorations, a single futon on the floor, a dresser, and a desk and chair in one corner. On the desk was an alarm clock. Hinata laid the blond on the futon. ' _Naruto, are you sure this was a good idea?'_ she thought. ' _Guess it's too late now though.'  
_ -

"Enter." The door opened and Hiashi walked into the Hokage's office. With the Hokage was Kakashi.

"You summoned me, Lord Hokage?" Hiashi said with a bow.

"Yes, tell me, you eldest is on a training expedition, correct?" Hiashi looked confused, wondering what this was all about, but nodded. He had chosen to keep the truth of Hinata's departure hidden even from the Hokage. The less people that knew, the less likely it would get out. "One I have not approved of."

"Forgive me, Lord Hokage. It was foolish of me to do so without your approval, but I figured since this was clan business…"

"And what of the other members of the main branch. I assume all are well and accounted for."

"Yes, they are." Hiashi suddenly felt nervous. What was going on, and why was Kakashi here?

"Kakashi, please tell Lord Hiashi what you found out while searching for Naruto."

The man nodded at turned to the clan head. "My search lead me to some bandits. One revealed that they encountered a boy who fits Naruto's description. Apparently, the saw him with a girl with veins bulging around her eyes. An unsealed Hyūga, about the same age as Naruto."

Hiashi sweated as he realised he was caught, and was shocked to learn he was traveling with the Uzumaki boy. He was unaware of any interaction between the two. Hiruzen demanded an explanation and so he told the truth. "The morning after Uzumaki left the village, Kō found a letter from Hinata saying she had done the same. I chose to keep that info hidden in hopes that once she was found and recovered, this would all blow over and the elders would not demand she be sealed."

"And yet you did not think that I, your Hokage, needed to know of this?"

"With all due respect, Lord Third, lately you've had trouble keeping secrets. And the Uzumaki child is a prime example." Unlike most people, Hiashi never saw Naruto as the demon, merely it's jailer. However, this did not mean he liked the boy. Except for his status as a jinchūriki, Naruto was never of much interest to the clan head. "You were only able to keep the facts of his status a secret from newcomers, visitors, and the younger generation. However, a majority of the village is fully aware of the fate of the demon fox. And now most recently was his departure as well. The whole village knows he's gone, and because of that, some have already broken your law. Word may soon spread to the other countries that we are without our jinchūriki and they will hunt him down to obtain the power of the Nine-Tails." Hiruzen sighed. It was true. A few people had told their children or outsiders about Naruto. They were punished swiftly and those told were sworn to secrecy, but they could have been overheard by enemy spies. And once the other hidden villages found out, they would all be looking to acquire Naruto. He had gotten a similar dressing down from Danzo earlier. And the Hokage had no doubt if his men found the boy, Danzo would keep him and turn the boy into one of his emotionless pawns. "Apologies, Lord Hokage, but it's the truth." Hiashi turned to Kakashi. "I must also ask why you are here, Hatake. If you are on their trail, why are you here empty-handed?"

Kakashi was not looking forward to delivering this piece of information. "Me and Pakkun found another scent. One that belongs to Orochimaru."

Hiashi's skin paled and his eyes widened. He knew well what kind of man Orochimaru was. He was a twisted sadist who seeked as much knowledge as he could get, no matter how it was attained. He had even seen the results of some of his experiments. They weren't pretty. And so he did something he's never done before. He snapped. "THEN WHY ARE YOU STILL HERE? WE HAVE TO STOP HIM BEFORE HE LEARNS THE SECRETS OF THE BYAKUGAN! AND I WILL NOT LET HIM DESECRATED MY DAUGHTER'S BODY!"

"Calm down Hiashi!" the Hokage ordered. Luckily the seal prevented all the noise from leaving the room. "Orochimaru is a powerful foe not to be taken lightly. I'll send Kakashi with a team to pick up his trail. I'll contact Jiraiya and have him met up with them."

Hiashi willed himself to do as the Hokage ordered and calm himself. Orochimaru was a prodigy and the Hokage's student. Even he could not beat the sannin in a fight, nor could Kakashi. The only ones he knew of capable of fighting the rogue were the other two sannin and the Hokage. "Forgive me, Lord Hokage, for my outburst. I..."

Hiruzen held his hand up. "You are forgiven. Send a message to the members of your family you sent in search of your daughter. Have one of them met up with Kakashi at the lake where he lost their scent." Hiashi nodded and upon receiving the coordinates of the lake, left to send them to Kō. "Kakashi, you have your orders."

"Yes, Lord Third." Kakashi disappeared in a swirl of leaves. Alone in his office, the Hokage pulled out an old photo of him and his students taken the day after he gave them the bell test. He looked at young Orochimaru and sighed. ' _What happened to you that made you change? Or were you always like this and I just chose not to notice?'  
_ -

Naruto woke up. ' _How long was I out?'_ he wondered. ' _Crap, did I change again? Hope I didn't hurt Hinata.'_ Exiting the room, Naruto called out for anyone. "Hello? Hinata? Snakeman?" His voice echoed throughout the hallway.

The door to the room in front of him open and he saw Hinata. "Naruto, y-you're awake!"

"Hey Hinata. What happened? How long was I out?" Naruto asked.

"Well, um," Hinata started to explain. "Y-you kinda u-used the fox's c-chakra when you l-learn you mom h-held him b-before you. Then Orochimaru p-placed a s-seal on y-you that s-stopped it. Y-you've been unconscious a-about two days."

Naruto remembered that. He wasn't exactly happy that his mother was used to hold the fox like he was. ' _Did Dad know? Wait, of course he knew, he was the Hokage. But, if he was still with her, so maybe he didn't care. But, did everyone know about my mom like they knew about me? Did they do to her what they did to me? God I hope not.'_ Then Hinata's last words hit him. "I've been out for two whole days!" Hinata nodded and the boy groaned.

"Good, you're finally awake. Now I can explain." Orochimaru appeared from the hallway.

"Explain what?" Naruto asked.

"How things will be from now on. First, you are to do what I say, when I say." The children nodded. They expected that. "Second, I'll need some DNA samples from time to time.

"DN what?" Naruto asked.

"I'm saying I'll need to extract things like blood, tissue…"

"What do ya need all that for?"

"Science, boy. You may not know it, but you come from a clan renowned for their vitality. Their bodies recovered more quickly than others. And you have inherited those genes." ' _And possibly more. I wonder, did you inherit your mother's unique abilities, or were they made dormant by your father's genetics?'_ He turned to the young girl. "And don't think I need to explain your value, do I?" Hinata squirmed under his gaze and unconsciously put a hand over her eyes. She had yet to replace the contact lenses she took off the last night, so her Byakugan was showing. Orochimaru chuckled as Naruto moved in front of her protectively. "Relax. I have no intention of removing your eyes." ' _At the moment, I'm interested in another pair of eyes.'_ No, I want to see what they're capable of and to do so, I'll need them on you." Naruto relaxed slightly. ' _He's more protective of the girl then I thought. Whether that's an asset or a hinderance only time will tell.'_

"Kakashi, your back," Pakkun said as Kakashi arrived to the lake where they lost Naruto, Hinata, and Orochimaru's scents. "And you're not alone."

Behind him were two other ANBU. One, a female, had a large, closed, grey trench coat on. Her mask was white with red markings on the sides. Her hair was black and short. The other wore the standard ANBU attire like Kakashi. His mask was white with red crescent moons next to the eye holes and green markings on the sides. His hair was short and brown. On his back was a tanto. "Anything to report?" Kakashi asked.

Pakkun shook his head. "The other haven't picked up his scent. It's like they disappeared."

Kakashi looked to the woman. "Shivi, use you bugs to scour the area." The female ANBU nodded and held out her hands. Thousands of bugs left the sleeves of her coat and dispersed in all directions. "Now, nothing more to do than wait."

"Actually, I think I can be of some help," The ANBU turned to the source of the voice, none of them surprised. Kō entered the area dressed in the standard jonin attire. On his head was a bandana that had his forehead protector with the Leaf symbol.

"I see Hiashi chose to send you." Kakashi said.

"I volunteered. I have been in charge of Lady Hinata's safety since the day she was born. And I will make sure she is returned home safe and sound." Kō made a single hand sign. "Byakugan!" As the veins around his eyes bulged, Kō searched the area. He focused his gaze not around, but bellow. "There's a series of tunnels, lit by torches."

"It must be one of Orochimaru's hideouts. Do you see Naruto or Hinata?" Kakashi asked.

Kō looked. "No, I can't find… Wait!" He caught sight of the two children. "Yes, I've located Lady Hinata and the... boy." He paused before saying boy. Kō lost his wife during the Nine-Tails incident and could not even think about the boy without anger. His hate just wouldn't let him separate the boy from the demon. That said, he managed to keep his mouth shut and control himself around Naruto, so he wasn't one of the people who bullied him. It did bother him when Hinata took an interest to him, however. "And with them… Orochimaru."

"Shivi, recall your bugs. Kō, what is he doing?" Kakashi asked, trying to remain calm. He'd investigated a few of Orochimaru's hideouts and seen the results of his experiments. It made him sick to think of what he would do to Naruto.

Kō was thinking along the same lines for Hinata. Though he did not have first hand experience, he heard rumors of what the snake sannin has done. "Nothing much. It seems as if he's speaking to… Naruto just positioned himself in front of Lady Hinata! Orochimaru may soon try something!"

"Quick, look for the nearest entry point!" Kō did as he was told.

"Closest entry point is underwater." He gave them the approximate location. "There's a thin wall there we can enter through."

"Then let's hurry!" The team looked to the tree and say a man with long, spiky white hair. He had on a short green kimono shirt and matching pants, as well as a red kimono-like jacket with two yellow had red lines going down from his eyes and a forehead protector with the kanji for oil, rather than the Leaf symbol.

"Master Jiraiya. I see you got Lord Third's message." Kakashi said.

"Yes but right now we've got to hurry! It's time I paid my old teammate a visit."

"Sir, should I leave?" Shivi asked. "I cannot travel underwater as it puts my hive in danger. It would leave me defenseless and useless in this fight."

"I've got that covered," Jiraiya said as he performed the necessary hand signs.  
-

Out from the water in the underground opening, a small toad hopped out and opened it's mouth. From it's mouth came Jiraiya, followed by the ANBU and branch Hyūga. "Alright, we need to break this wall down, quietly. We'll have a better chance of rescuing the kids through stealth."

"Tenzo, you're up." Kakashi ordered.

"Leave it to me." The male ANBU walked up to the wall and looked for a weak point. He found one, turned his finger into wood, and force wood into the crack. It created an opening and they crawled through it.  
-

After explaining things and telling them the consequences of betrayal, Orochimaru led them to an large open room. "Hey, Orochimaru-sensei." The snake sannin made it clear Naruto was not to address him as Snakeman. "We gonna train here?" Naruto was pumped to begin his training. Orochimaru didn't answer, but bit his thumb.

"Summoning Jutsu!" In a puff of smoke, a large, two-headed black snake appeared. Before either of his students could ask what was going on, Orochimaru threw them into the air and the snake ate them, one for each head. "Once Kabuto summons you, tell him to wait 10 minutes while before summoning again. I'm gonna greet my guests." The snake's two heads nodded and it disappeared. Not long after that, Kakashi and his team along with Jiraiya and Kō arrived. "Welcome. Allow me to give you a proper welcome."  
-

Alpha: Next chapter, Kakashi Hatake, Tenzo, Jiraiya, Shivi Aburame (my OC), and Kō Hyūga vs Orochimaru!

Naruto: Still can't believe you're making me work with him.

Alpha: Well, I thought it would be a nice idea. And so did most people. Anyway, I wonder, what should I do with Hinata? I've got an idea of some things to give her, which I'm sure some of you can guess, but what kind of fighting style should she have? What kind of role or focus?

Sakura: Medical ninjutsu?

Neji: Gentle Fist?

Alpha: How would she become proficient in Gentle Fist under Orochimaru? (Neji whispers an idea) Oh yeah, that could work.

Kurenai: Why not genjutsu?

Alpha: Also a possibility. So, she can either be a medic, genjutsu, or Gentle Fist with Neji's idea. What to choose?


	4. Chapter 4 Where Are They!

A/N: The story continues. I now have Hinata's skills planned out. I could tell you them, but I think I'll show you instead. Also, the rating may change from T to M, most likely for Tayuya's language. Oh, and for those that might forget, Orochimaru is still wearing his Akatsuki attire.

Chapter 4: Where Are They!

In a large room lit by numerous torches and decorated with snake statues stood a single figure, about 14 years of age. He had ash-grey hair in a ponytail and black eyes. He wore round glasses, a dark purple shirt with a high collar and matching pants, a white undershirt, and a white cloth waistband. On his hands were fingerless purple gloves with metal plates. Biting his thumb, the teen performed the summoning jutsu. A puff of smoke later, a two-headed black snake was towering in front of him. "I believe Lord Orochimaru gave you something to deliver, correct?" he asked, curious why Orochimaru himself was not there.

The large snake nodded both heads, then lowered them to the ground and spat out Naruto and Hinata, who were not happy. "Orochimaru also sends a message," the left head said. "You are to wait 10 minutes before summoning, so he can properly greet his guests." His purpose there done, the snake disappeared, returning to Ryūchi Cave.

' _So, the Leaf caught up with him?'_ The teen turned his attention to the young children the snake spat out, not at all concerned about his master. Naruto was complaining about being barfed out of a snake. ' _I hope these two children are worth the trouble Lord Orochimaru's going through.'_ "So, you two are Lord Orochimaru's newest pet project?"

"Huh, where are we? Who are you?" Naruto asked, pointing at the teen. Hinata looked over and wondered the same thing.

"My name is Kabuto, Lord Orochimaru's right hand man, and as to where you are, it's another one of Lord Orochimaru's facilities, outside the Land of Fire," he answered.

"What?! How'd we get all the way here?" the blond shouted.

' _This one's rather loud,'_ "Simple, I summoned the snake whose mouth you entered. The Leaf managed to track your location, so we need to get you away without the possibility of them following."

Naruto looked confused, but Hinata caught on and explained. "Um, b-because we were in the s-snake, we w-were summoned too."

Kabuto watched the two with calculating eyes. ' _Looks like the Hyūga girl is the brains of the bunch. Still, as a jinchūriki and an Uzumaki, the boy's got stamina and a healing factor. I wonder what experiments Lord Orochimaru will want to perform on him.'_ Naruto offered to help Hinata up, which caused her to blush. ' _Seems she harbors feeling toward him despite the knowledge of his jinchūriki status. I imagine Lord Orochimaru will know how to take advantage of this. But for now, I'll do as he instructed me to do when the children arrive.'_ "Come. Lord Orochimaru instructed me to find out your affinities as well as draw blood." He turned away toward the medlab.

After helping Hinata up, Naruto followed him, with her close behind. "Hey, where's Orochimaru-sensei?"

"Oh he's dealing with some uninvited visitors."  
-

"Where are they?" the toad sannin demanded as the other ninja surrounded the snake sannin.

"Straight to business. How unlike you. Did I hit a nerve when I took your favorite student's son?" Jiraiya and Kakashi's eyes widened. "The resemblance between him and Minato is really uncanny. It's surprising sensei was able to keep that a secret."

Tenzo, Shivi, and Kō were shock. They recognized the name and wondered if Naruto really was the son of the Fourth. The look on Jiraiya's face said it all. Kō suddenly felt ill, knowing he had harbored such deplorable feelings and ill intent for the son of a Hokage. And though he never acted on them, the shame he felt remained. Tenzo looked at Kakashi. Because the copy ninja still had his ANBU mask on, the wood style user didn't know what Kakashi was thinking. ' _Senpai, did you know?'_

Kakashi turned to the others. "This is an S-class secret. None of you are to reveal this to anyone, including Hiashi."

"You've gone too far this time Orochimaru!" Jiraiya yelled to his former teammate.

This only made him laugh. "This time? I've conduct so many 'inhuman' experimentations, left many bodies in my wake, even eradicated an entire clan," Tenzo and Kakashi felt anger as they remembered what the snake sannin did to the Iburi Clan, but also relief that he didn't know about Yukimi. "And yet, when I rescued two children, driven from their homes, about to be killed by a bandit, that's when I've gone too far?" He found the whole thing humorous.

"Don't act like you did this out of the goodness of your heart!" Kakashi shouted. "The only reason you rescued them was so you could use them yourself."

"Return Lady Hinata at once!" Kō demanded his patience running low. "As well as the son of the Fourth!" he added.

"Oh look at you, acting like you care about the boy. I'm afraid you're too late. The children are gone." Orochimaru answered.

"Where are they?" Jiraiya was not happy, as was evident in his voice.

"Why don't you force it out of me," Orochimaru taunted.

"With pleasure," Tenzo said as he performed a couple of handsigns. "Wood Style: Giant Forest Jutsu!" He thrusted his hand forward as it turned into rectangular trees without leaves. Orochimaru's was surprised, since he had assumed all attempts to recreate the First Hokage's jutsu failed, and yet here this ANBU was using Wood Style.

The trees wrapped around Orochimaru, binding him in place while Kakashi performed a different jutsu. "Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!" The fireball hit it's target and Orochimaru burned. But when the flames died, it revealed he was just a mud clone.

Kō activated his Byakugan and just barely jumped out of the way as Orochimaru launched five snakes from his sleeve at him. Shivi tried to attack with her bugs, but Orochimaru countered it. "Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!" Unleashing a torrent of wind from his mouth, he blew away the bugs and Shivi.

Jiraiya bit his thumb and altered the makeup on his face slightly, going horizontally from part way down the initial mark and then vertically to the inner corner of his eyes. "By me some time," he ordered as he clasped his hands together. ' _I need to go all out this time.'_

Orochimaru looked at his old teammate and recognised what he was doing. He had seen him do the same thing during the last two wars back when he was a Leaf shinobi. ' _This could be a problem. While I have no doubt I could take him alone, with these guys the odds are not in my favor.'_ Turning his lower body into that of a snake, he slithered past Tenzo and Kō and attempted to attack Jiraiya.

But Kakashi anticipated this. "Earth Style: Stone Wall Jutsu!" A stone wall with dog faces on it erupted from the ground, blocking the snake sannin from his prey. Kakashi unsheathed his tanto and attack, but Orochimaru parried with a kunai and, returning his lower body to normal, kicked him in the face, breaking his mask. Kakashi flew back before he recovered and landed on his feet, only to be stabbed by multiple snakes with blades in their mouths that Orochimaru sent from his.

However, Kakashi turned to mud. "I must say, you gotten quite good with that eye of yours," Orochimaru stated, referring to the Sharingan in Kakashi's left eye. "To have copied my jutsu from earlier." He ducked as Kakashi attack from behind, and kicked the ANBU captain away.

While Tenzo erected a wooden dome around Jiraiya, Kō attempted to strike the rogue sannin. However, one look at Orochimaru and he found himself paralysed with fear from the killing intent he was releasing. Tenzo moved to assist him, but Orochimaru changed his legs again and bound him with his own body. As Tenzo struggled, Orochimaru reached for something. "You surprised me earlier. I didn't think any of you survived. But now, maybe you can help me." Tenzo was about to tell him off when he felt Orochimaru jab something in his neck. "Yes, this'll do nicely."

Placing something in his pocket, Orochimaru started to squeeze. However, he was forced to release him when a swarm of insects nearly overwhelmed him. Suddenly, a crash was heard and before he knew it, something slammed Orochimaru into a wall. Orochimaru looked up and saw his former teammate, but he looked slightly different. His nose was a little bigger and covered in warts, his eyes resembled that of a toad, and on each shoulder was a toad. The one on his right shoulder had green skin and white hair like a mohawk, as well as a goatee. He wore high collar grey cloak. The one on the left was purple and green. She wore a similar cloak that was black. Orochimaru knew them, Fukasaku and Shima, the two toad sages. Jiraiya had gone into sage mode.

"So, you finally summoned us to deal with this traitor, eh Jiraiya-boy," said Fukasaku.

"Bout time lad! This snake should have been skinned much sooner!" Shima remarked.

"Good to see you two again, Boss, Ma'am."

Orochimaru pulled himself up. "So, you finally use that against me, huh."

"It's over Orochimaru! Tell me where Naruto and the Hyūga girl are!" Jiraiya demanded.

"What's going on Jiraiya-boy? Who's Naruto?" Fukasaku asked.

"He's Minato's son. Orochimaru got his hands on him recently, as well as an unsealed Hyūga girl his age."

"Then you were right to summon us! Minato was a great man, there's no way we're gonna leave his son to this monster!" Shima exclaimed. "And I don't want to know what he has planned for that poor girl!"

"Is this the part where I'm supposed to give up and tell you what you want to know?" Orochimaru said, wiping blood from the corner of his mouth. "Sorry, but even with sage mode, I won't lose that easily."

Meanwhile, Kakashi rushed to Kō side. "Snap out of it!" he yelled, shaking him. Kō blinked and looked at him. "I know his killer intent is overwhelming, but you gotta stay strong! Remember, he has Hinata."

Kō nodded. "Thank you, Kakashi. I'm sorry, it won't happen again. I must rescue Lady Hinata!"

"Good. Tenzo, Shivi, you two alright?" Kakashi asked.

Shivi nodded while Tenzo rubbed his neck. "He hit me with something, but I don't feel like I've been poisoned. I can still fight."

"Good, then get ready. This fight isn't over yet!" Kakashi said.

Orochimaru summoned more snake from his mouth, but Jiraiya burned them with a fire jutsu from his mouth. He then rush at the rogue sannin, and Orochimaru barely dodged the attack, but was caught by Shima's tongue and thrown away.

Tenzo tried to catch him with his Giant Forest jutsu again, but the snake sannin substituted with a log. They found him at the other side of the arena. "Ten Thousand Snakes Wave!" Lowering his head and opening his mouth wide, thousands of snakes slithered out.

"That's a lota snakes," Shima commented.

"Let's do something about it then. Ready Jiraiya-boy?"

As the snakes approached, some leaped into the air, blades coming out of their mouths. Jiraiya motioned the others to get back while he, Shima and Fukasaku launched their jutsu. "Sage Art: Bath of Boiling Oil!" Jiraiya shot a stream of toad oil, Shima ignited it with a fire jutsu, and Fukasaku enhanced it with wind. The attack decimated the incoming serpents and all combatants were forced to the walls to avoid the boiling oil.

"Wood Style: Wooden Mallet Jutsu!" Tenzo launched multiple wooden planks at Orochimaru, who dodge. Kakashi launched multiple small fireballs, but the snake sannin dodged those as well. Both kept attacking and Orochimaru kept dodging. However, too late did he realise it was a diversion as Kō landed a palm strike on his chest. Orochimaru nearly fell into the oil, but use an earth style jutsu to raise a part of the ground to catch him. However, there was no rest as insects swarmed him, draining him of his chakra.

Jiraiya jumped into the air toward Orochimaru, a blue sphere of swirling chakra in hand. "Rasengan!" He thrusted the attack into the rogue's gut and sent him crashing into the wall.

Orochimaru tried to get up, but then he heard what sounded like chirping birds. "Lightning Blade!" Kakashi jabbed Orochimaru with his signature jutsu, then jumped back onto the platform the snake created earlier, rejoining Jiraiya and the other.

"Don't you think that's overkill? I mean, we do need him alive to tell us where the kids are." Tenzo asked.

"I avoided any vital areas. He should only be unconscious," Kakashi explained.

"Kakashi's right. Orochimaru is a tough one. I've no doubt he's still breathing," Jiraiya said.

"If you don't need us anymore lad, I've got to get home to make dinner. Care to join us?" Shima asked.

"As tempting as that sound, I can't. I'll need to keep an eye on Orochimaru so he doesn't escape," Jiraiya answered. The two toads nodded and disappeared. Jiraiya reverted to his normal self. "Sorry a lovely lady such as yourself had to see me looking like that," he said to Shivi.

However, instead of responding to that, she pushed Kakashi out of the way and was impaled by Orochimaru's Kusanagi Blade, which was sticking out of a snake from his mouth. The others looked in shock. It looked like he had fully healed from all of their attacks! "Not the one I was aiming for, but no matter."

"Impossible!" Kō said. Looking past Orochimaru, he saw the sannin's body. ' _That's not a clone, and yet it doesn't seem this one is either. What did he do? How is this possible?'_ He check with his eyes and confirmed the one standing before them was no clone.

"I'd love to play some more, but it seems my time is just about up. Summoning Jutsu!" A brown snake just large enough to fit on the platform appeared. "So long, old friend. Who knows, maybe those kids will survive what I have in store for them."

"NO!" Jiraiya tried rushed to him, but he was drained from using sage mode. And Kakashi and Tenzo were drained from performing all those jutsu. Not that it matter, as the snake almost instantly swallowed the sannin and disappeared in a poof of smoke. "Damn it! We nearly had him!"

"We need to get out of here. No doubt Orochimaru left a surprise for us." Kakashi turned toward the Hyūga. "Kō, is Shivi…"

"I'm afraid so," he answered. "She has no pulse and her chakra network is still. She's gone."

The shinobi shared a moment of silence for their fallen comrade before Kakashi burned the corpse with a fire jutsu, as is the way of the ANBU. As they made their way to the exit, a series of explosions was heard. Using his Byakugan, Kō saw that the explosions allowed water to enter and flood the caves. He led the way as they all rushed to escape. They found it and narrowly avoided a watery grave. And so, the journey back to the Leaf began, but instead of with two, they'd arrive without one.  
-

"Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto greeted as he bowed.

"Ah, Kabuto, how are our new recruits?" Orochimaru asked as he exited the brown snake.

"I've taken their blood and check their affinity. The boy possesses wind chakra and the girl has lightning. I'll soon begin analysing their blood."

"Good, and while you're at it, examine this sample too." He held out a vial of blood.

"And who's is this, if I may be so bold?" Kabuto asked, curious.

"It would seem not all of my experiments with wood style failed. I was too hasty in shutting down that program. Once you learn all you can from that sample, I want you to prepare for the procedure."

"Shall I send someone to acquire test subjects?"

Orochimaru shook his head. "I've got the perfect person in mind. But until then, I want you to begin the children's physical training. And make sure they have proper 'motivation'." Kabuto smirked, knowing just what to do.  
-

"I see, so the mission failed." Hiruzen sat back in his chair, inhaling deeply his pipe. "And we lost one of our shinobi."

"Afraid so, sensei." Jiraiya said with a sigh. They were so close, and yet once again, Orochimaru slipped through his grasp.

"What now, Lord Hokage?" Hiashi asked. "My daughter is still in that monster's clutches."

"I'm afraid for the moment, there is nothing we can do," he said regrettably. "Orochimaru's trail has gone cold. He could be anywhere in the elemental nations, and we can't send our shinobi after him without the risk of inciting war with the other nations."

Hiashi was not happy with that answer, but had to accept it. "What am I gonna tell the elders? I recalled all the Hyūga I sent out. If Hinata isn't there, they'll start asking questions."

"I'm sorry, Lord Hiashi," Kō stated as he descended to his knees and bowed. "I failed you and Lady Hinata. Use the seal on me if that is my punishment. I accept it, for my failure cannot be forgiven."

The clan head shook his head. "Rise, Kō. Your punishment is not necessary. You warned me of the consequences of my action, but I ignored them, believing I was doing what was best for my daughter. The fault is mine for driving her away."

"Even so, I…"

"No, you are not at fault and will not be punished." Hiashi said, leaving little room for argument. Kō could only nod.

"Anyway," the Hokage started, "the best thing you can do is inform them of her current predicament. There is no way around it. However, details of Orochimaru's acquisition they need not know." Hiashi understood what he meant. All he need to say was that Orochimaru kidnapped Hinata, but he didn't have to give away that she ran away. With that, the Hokage made a few announcements. First, Kakashi was removed from ANBU duties and would become a jonin sensei. Second, Jiraiya was to leave the village and use his spy network to find any clues on Orochimaru and the kids' location. Finally, Tenzo would deliver the news of Shivi's death to the Aburame.

With everyone dismissed, Hiruzen summoned an old friend of his. Soon, a man with a cane walked in. He had shaggy black hair, and X-shaped scar on his chin, and bandages covering his right eye, his visible eye being brown. He wore a white shirt and a black robe that covered from his right shoulder to his feet. The robe also covered his right arm, which looked like it was in a sling. He looked to be about the same age as the Hokage. "Is there something you need?" the man asked.

"Danzo, I know we haven't always seen eye to eye, but I think we can both agree that Naruto must be removed from Orochimaru's clutches."

The old war hawk nodded. "Yes. The man is a threat to the stability of this village so long as the Nine-Tails remains in his possession. However, this would not be a problem if you hadn't allowed him to escape. Instead, you held back because you could not bring yourself to do what needed to be done. And then there's the jinchūriki. I told you it would have been better for me to take the boy into ROOT. He would have been safer and a valuable, loyal asset to the village."

"I did not want Naruto to become an emotionless tool." Hiruzen argued. "You know as well as I do that's not what Minato would have wanted. He wanted his son to have a normal life."

"That option went out the window the moment he sealed the beast in his son. Because of his status as our jinchūriki, Naruto Uzumaki would have to become a shinobi, and it'd only be a matter of time before he met his tenent. Face it, Hiruzen, that boy had no chance at being normal."

The Hokage sighed. "Perhaps, but he would have had a happier life if we had let his godmother adopt him."

"The Uchiha were prime suspects of the investigation of what happened that night. We could not allow Mikoto to adopt the boy and give the Uchiha the power of the Nine-Tails to use against the village. And as I remember, you saw my logic."

"Let's end this game of 'we should have' and get to the reason I summoned you." Danzo nodded in agreement. "I suspect you haven't disbanded ROOT like I asked you too."

"Are you here to punish me for what you think I have or haven't done?" Danzo asked, raising his brow.

"No, I'm here to cut you a deal." Danzo looked curious as to what kind of deal. "I will reinstate your ROOT program, and you will use that and your resources to locate Naruto, Hinata, and Orochimaru, by any means necessary so long as it can't be traced back to us. I'll want regular updates on your progress. Do you accept?"

Danzo thought about for a moment. "The terms are fair. Very well, Hiruzen."

"Good, then as of now, your ROOT program is hereby reinstated." The Hokage got up from his chair and walk over to the old war hawk. "And just so we're clear, if you attempt to hide Naruto or Hinata from me for your own use, I will execute you myself for treason!"

Danzo looked into Hiruzen's eyes and could tell he fully intended to make good on his threat. Danzo smirked. "I see you haven't gone completely soft. Rest assure, the moment I learn anything about the jinchūriki and the Hyūga girl's whereabouts, you'll be the first to know, Lord Hokage."

"I'm glad we're on the same page. Dismissed."  
-

Naruto and Hinata were running laps around the arena. Both were panting heavily but neither were willing to stop, lest they fall prey to the snakes currently chasing them. "You guys are crazy, ya know!" Naruto shout to Orochimaru and Kabuto who watched with amusement.

"I'd save your breath and focus on running. The snakes are catching up, and their venom is quite painful," Kabuto said with a smirk.

Naruto looked behind to see the snakes were indeed catching up. "Crap! Come on Hinata, let's speed up!" Hinata nodded. She was the more winded of the two but she forced herself to keep going. But she didn't know how much longer she could last.

"When should we stop them, Lord Orochimaru?"

The snake sannin thought for a moment. "Let's just see how long they can keep this up." Kabuto smirked even more and continued to watch the two children run for their lives.  
-

Alpha: Relax, the venom is nonlethal, just gives unpleasant symptoms. Hope you all enjoyed the fight.

Hiruzen: I worry about the fate of the Leaf.

Alpha: Let's just see what changes the kids go through. I wonder though, should I make Naruto a savior or destroyer? Decisions, decisions. Even I don't know what direction to go. Eh, I'll decide as I write this.

Jiraiya: I vote savior.

Hiruzen: Same.

Naruto: Ditto.

Hinata: I hope so too.

Alpha: You people are no fun, you know that?

Naruto: Please, I'm loads of fun, ya know.

Alpha: Whatever.

Sasuke: Destroyer would be different. That'd be interesting to see.

Alpha: Thank you.

Naruto: I thought you couldn't decide?

Alpha: I can't, but it's nice to hear not everyone is voting for savior. Of course, the decision is mine in the end. Time to get back to work.


	5. Chapter 5 Two New Friends

A/N: The next Sound chapter. More on training and the meeting of two important characters. By the way, does anyone know why Naruto had such trouble with the summoning jutsu? It can't be insufficient chakra because he can create a large amount of shadow clones with lousy chakra control. I have a theory about Jugo's strange ability to understand birds and animals. It's the fact that he constantly absorbs nature energy. It gives him a unique connection and allows him to communicate with them, not just the moments of insanity and transformation.

Chapter 5: Two New Friends

After Naruto and Hinata started their training, Orochimaru and Kabuto would add something new to their runs at the start of a new week. When the second week started, Kabuto added weights to their arms and legs before sicking his snakes on them. And he would increase their weights on another week. On the third week, Kabuto and Orochimaru would start throwing things at them. At first, it was blunt items, but a few weeks later, it was sharp kunai and shurikens. The snakes chasing them would change too. Sometimes they were bigger, and sometimes they were smaller but faster. The venom used on them varied, and though none of them were lethal, their effects ranged from paralysis, rashes, nausea, fever, and numbness, among other things. And while Naruto often call them crazy sadists, he did nothing to change the regiment. He did, however, worry for Hinata and always offered to carry her when she was running on empty during the exercise, but she refused. She didn't want to weigh him down and burden him. Besides, she wanted to get stronger too, so she knew she needed to endure. Orochimaru was aware of Naruto's offers, but chose not to forbid it, merely for the purpose of testing her resolve. The training actually served two purposes. The obvious one was the increase in speed, stamina, and dodging skills under pressure. The other purpose was to strengthen their immune system against poisons. Hence why he changed the types of snakes chasing them. However, some of the snakes, specifically the ones that towered over them, usually swallowed the sannin's students whole before spitting them out latter. Kabuto would treat them afterwards.

After training their bodies for the day, Orochimaru had Kabuto train their minds, much to Naruto's ire. He once said he preferred being chased by snakes, which led Kabuto damaging his voice box and threatening him with much more. After that, Naruto kept his complaints to himself. The lessons consisted of what chakra is, the five primary chakra affinities along with their strengths and weaknesses, the importance of chakra control, and the Three Shinobi Prohibitions, which were excessive alcohol, money, and adultery, the last one which Kabuto didn't go into detail about since they were too young. ' _I wonder whether Lord Orochimaru will give them 'the talk' or have me do it since I'm a medical ninja?'_ he wondered at the time.

Naruto complained about wanting to learn cool jutsu, but Orochimaru always refused and kept them on this regiment for about two months. Naruto still had the Five Pronged Seal over his Eight Sign Seal that held the fox. It prevented him from accessing the fox's power, but unknown to him, it also mess up his use of chakra. Orochimaru was aware of this, but chose to keep the seal on until he started training them in the use of chakra. After all, the boy wasn't happy whenever he saw the effects on the venom on Hinata, so better safe than sorry. Not that the snake sannin was worried for himself. He was confident he could handle Naruto before he accessed too much of the Nine-Tails chakra, but it would be an annoying inconvenience. Besides, he wasn't always there to watch their progress. No, he was much too busy, between his duties with the Akatsuki and his own projects in his other hideouts. That's why Kabuto supervised the children's training most of the time.

At the end of the two months, Orochimaru had returned from a mission assigned to him and his partner Sasori by the leader of the Akatsuki and told them to gather their things (which they had with them when they were swallowed in chapter three) and told them they would be moving to a new hideout to the North, further away from the Leaf and the Land of Fire. Before as the children packed, Orochimaru approached his second-in-command. "So, has there been any progress?"

Kabuto nodded and led Orochimaru into his lab, which contained jars filled with various specimens, as well as medical devices. He handed the snake sannin a file. "I have learned where the experiment went wrong in a few places." Orochimaru looked please as he flipped through the pages of the file. "However," Kabuto started, "we don't have enough data to guarantee success."

"True, but few things in life are guaranteed," Orochimaru said as he finished reading the file. "After your meeting with Sasori, make sure you pay our Hyūga's family a visit."

"And what should I tell your partner?" Kabuto asked.

"As long as you don't mention the kids, it doesn't matter. In fact, tell him I plan to revive the wood style experimentations, using DNA I extracted from a surviving specimen. That's valuable information that should help convince him you're still 'his' spy." He looks down at his Akatsuki cloak. "It won't be long before my curiosity is satisfied and they wear out their use."  
-

Danzo enter the Hokage's office, Hiruzen looked up from his paperwork at his old friend. "Any news?"

"Jiraiya mentioned Orochimaru was wearing a black cloak with red clouds on it, correct?" The Hokage nodded. "My spies have learned it is the attire of an organization of S-class missing nin known as the Akatsuki."

"I see." Hiruzen recognized the name. Itachi mentioned he was asked to join them before he fled the village. However, he didn't say much else. Danzo wonder if this was the work of the surviving members of the original Akatsuki he helped Hanzo take down. "Have you been able to locate my wayward student?"

"A few times, but the children were not with him." Hiruzen studied his face for any deceit. Danzo noticed this. "You still don't fully trust me, old friend." It wasn't a question.

"You done quite a few things over the years. An assassination attempt on me, hiding a wood style user, and of course, the Uchiha incident."

"Everything I've done, I did in the belief that it was what's best for the village. I'll admits some of my actions were ambitious, but I assure you, I'm not hiding them from you. Besides, Orochimaru wouldn't be so foolish as to let them out. Most of the time he was alone, but a few times he was with another member of the Akatsuki. My men attempted to capture him the first time, but according to a survivor, his partner managed to to eliminate them. We don't have a name, but we do know he's a puppet user, most likely from the Hidden Sand."

"I'll ask our 'friend' about it," Hiruzen said, with Danzo understanding. The Hokage wondered how he could get in touch with Itachi.

"Afterward, we focused on observation, but when they separated, he managed to escape my sensories."

Hiruzen sighed. Orochimaru was a slippery one. He taught him well. Too well. "Thank you, old friend. This information may help."  
-

"Kimimaro," a teen said to his comrade. He had spiky orange hair and red-orange eyes. He wore a pale blue shirt with pale green shorts and no footwear. They were alone in a large octagonal room with three hallways connected to it. It was lit with a number of torches on the walls and a chandelier. "Why do you think Lord Orochimaru called us here? Do you think he needs something more from me for his experiments?"

Kimimaro, about three years younger, shrugged his shoulders. He had pale skin, white hair that reached his shoulders, green eyes, and two red dots on his forehead. He wore a light lavender, loose-fitting, long-sleeved, zip-up shirt with the zipper partially down to show his chest, black pants cut off around mid-calf, bandages wrapped around his ankles, and a purple rope belt tied in an inverted bow around his waist. On his upper chest was a small mark. Three slightly curved lines in a circular pattern. "Perhaps. Whatever is Lord Orochimaru's desire."

"I just hope he can help me soon," the first guy said with a sad face as he looked off to the distance. "Maybe I should be in a cage. Until he gets here."

Kimimaro shook his head. "That won't be necessary, Jugo. I'm all the cage you need." Jugo showed a small smile of appreciation.

"Yes, that won't be necessary." Both turned to see Orochimaru, and kneeled before him. Orochimaru motioned them to rise, which they did, and they saw he not alone. Behind him were two children they did not know.

"Lord Orochimaru, permit me to ask," Kimimaro started.

"These two behind me?" Orochimaru guessed. Kimimaro nodded. "Two children with nowhere else to go. I'll let them introduce themselves, as I have some business to take care of." He walked away toward the hallway the right, but before leaving the room, he turn around. "Makes sure Jugo behaves himself, Kimimaro."

Jugo looked nervous. The only reason he allowed Kimimaro around him was because he was the only one who could stop him if he went on one of his episodes. But they happened randomly, with little warning. If he lost control, he could hurt the children or even kill them before Kimimaro stop him. Jugo was about to request he be locked up when Kimimaro put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a reassuring look. Then he turned to the sannin. "Of course, Lord Orochimaru," he responded with a bow as Orochimaru left to his lab. "As my master said, I am Kimimaro Kaguya of his Sound Five, and my companion here is Jugo."

"Hey, I'm Naruto Uzumaki. Nice ta meet cha!"

"Um, m-my name's H-Hinata Hyūga. P-pleased to m-make y-your acquaintance," she said with a small bow.

"A Hyūga? Interesting. I've heard about your clan," Kimimaro said, intrigued. "Yours too, Uzumaki."

"Everyone's heard about them but me," Naruto mumbled under his breath.

"What do you mean?" Jugo asked, having heard him.

"Well, no one told me anything about the Uzumaki Clan, ya know!" Naruto complained as his voice grew louder. "Not even Old Man Hokage, and I asked him a lot about my family. In fact, I still don't know anything about my clan, not even what happened to them. Orochimaru-sensei mentioned that they were scattered, but how did that happen?" Hinata looked down sadly, wishing she could help him. But she didn't know anything about the Uzumaki Clan either. Naruto took a deep breath and gave them a sheepish smile while rubbing the back of his head. "Sorry, didn't mean to rant, ya know."

"It's fine," Kimimaro assured. "I'm surprised, though. I'm not even from the Land of Fire and yet I know more about the Uzumaki than you. What about you, Jugo?"

"Yeah, I know about them. Even in my isolation, the birds would bring me news of what they overheard."

"Wait, what do ya mean, birds?" Naruto asked in confusion.

"My… condition allows me to communicate with birds," Jugo said hesitantly.

"Condition? You mean a kekkai genkei like Hinata's?" Naruto asked as he looked into the man's eyes.

"You mean kekkei genkai, and yes, that it. And no, it's not special eyes like your friend's," Jugo told him. "I'd... rather not talk about, alright?" Naruto was curious, but nodded. He understood, as he didn't want to reveal his tenant.

"Well, Lord Orochimaru will be busy for a while, so why don't we all grab some lunch," Kimimaro suggested.

"Yeah! Hope there's ramen!" Naruto shouted, mouth drooling. Two months of training and not one bowl of ramen the whole time. And he couldn't leave to grab some. "Come on Hinata! Let's find the kitchen!" He grabbed Hinata's hand and dragged the blushing girl through one of the hallways.

Kimimaro looked where Naruto had gone. "He's an… interesting character."

Jugo nodded in agreement. "Are you sure this is a good idea. If I lose control…"

"I told you, it'll be fine," Kimimaro assured. "I'll keep an eye on you, you won't hurt anyone."

"Maybe, but there be some explaining to do if it does happens."

"We deal with it, together," he promised as the two of them followed slowly after Naruto.

' _Kimimaro, I don't know what would've happened, if we hadn't met. Thank you my friend.'  
_ -

 _Last night:_

It was late, around midnight. A Hyūga guard patrolled by the wall of the Hyūga complex, Byakugan activated. However, a figure snuck past him, staying in his blind spot at the edge of his range. The figure wore a black cloak with the hood on and an ANBU mask. He moved as if he had knowledge of all the Hyūga's patrols and the weakness of the Byakugan. The masked man slipped through a window and navigated to a hidden vault. It had two measures of security. The first one wasn't a problem for him, most shinobi trained in infiltration could have picked the combination lock. However, the vault door opened to a room with empty shelves. But the man knew there was more than meets the eye. The Hyūga Clan convinced the Uzumaki Clan to set up a blood seal that hide their scrolls. Only a member of the main branch could access them.

But the masked man was not worried. He moved to the black seal on the floor in the center of the room, took out a vial of blood, and poured it on his hand. Then, after performing a few hand signs, he slammed it on the seal. Formulas spread from it until they reached the shelves, where poofs of smoke erupted and just as quickly dispersed, leaving behind numerous scrolls.

He began placing all the scrolls in storage seals. He finished the last one when he heard a scream from behind. He turned to see a little girl, around 2, with long brown hair in PJs. The mask man quickly ran, knowing her scream alerted the guards. He ran to the closest window and exited, only to find two Hyūga guards in their fighting stance. The masked man sighed and performed hand signs, after which his hands glowed blue. The Hyūga charged and the man rushed to meet then. He ducked under the first and touch his ankle, then pushed the other one's palm strike to the side and touched his leg. The two Hyūga were surprised when they found the legs he touch were injured, making pursuing the fleeing shinobi impossible for them.

He jumped from roof to roof. It wasn't long before the ANBU were on his tail. As he dodge incoming shuriken and kunai, the man jumped down an alley and bumped into a genin, one wearing glasses, knocking him to a couple of trash bins. The masked man ran as the ANBU continued to pursue him. Incapacitating the gate guards in a similar fashion to the Hyūga guards, he rush into the woods. But the ANBU didn't let up. And soon, they had him surrounded. "Give up! There's nowhere to run!" the captain shouted. The masked man didn't say anything, just held up the scroll with the storage seal. He then pulled down part of his cloak, revealing many paper bombs! "Get back!" the captain shouted as the man blew up, the scroll destroyed.

Luckily, there were no casualties. The injured shinobi were taken to the hospital while the ANBU captain reported to the Hokage. With him was Hiashi. "So, he managed to obtain your clan's secret scrolls, but blew himself up, rather than surrender, and taking the scroll with him?" The captain and clan head nodded. "I am sorry for your loss, Hiashi."

"I have knowledge of the contents of most of the scrolls, having studied with them since childhood, as have other members of the main branch. We will be able to reconstruct most of the scrolls." Hiashi said calmly. "Still, this is all very disturbing. I've upped security since the Cloud Incident. Not only that, but the seal in the vault was designed so that only a main branch Hyūga could access the archive. This man not only knew how evade our all-seeing eyes, but had main family blood and knew the necessary hand signs to activate the seals." Everyone in the room pondered this.

"Perhaps the Hidden Cloud?" The ANBU captain offered. "We know they want the secrets of the Byakugan."

The Hyūga Clan head shook his head. "No, the Raikage wouldn't bother attempting to steal the scrolls without having someone with our eyes. And because Hizashi had the Caged Bird Seal, he eye would be useless. And they couldn't use his blood to activate the seal." They continued to think, until Hiashi came to a terrifying conclusion. "No…" Hiruzen looked at him and came to the same conclusion. And neither wanted to know how Orochimaru came to acquire that knowledge from Hinata. ' _At least he didn't get his hands on those scrolls.'  
_ -

As the ANBU passed him by, Kabuto stood up. On his forehead was the Leaf forehead protector. As he stood up from the garbage, he grabbed the scroll his clone managed to pass on to him. ' _Always good to have a backup plan,'_ he thought as he summoned a small black snake. Despite it's size, it managed to swallow the whole scroll before poofing away.  
-

 _Present:_

"Ah, that hit the spot," Naruto said as he patted his belly. He finished his fifth cup of instant ramen, and while he could eat more, Hinata convinced him to stop at five. She had finished her red bean soup. Jugo had a small fish and Kimimaro had some Sautéed Kale (it's strong in calcium).

"Indeed, that was a good meal," Jugo commented. He was surprised by how calm he was during lunch. He figured it was Kimimaro's presence that kept the urges at bay. "I'm surprised the Leaf treated you so badly, Naruto. I'm sorry."

During lunch, the subject of their old home came up. Naruto mention how the villagers treated him. Kimimaro and Jugo were sadden by this but felt a connection to him, both of them being outcasts as well. They felt the same with Hinata when she mentioned her family and how they looked down on her and made her feel unwanted.

Naruto sighed. "Yeah well, that's in the past now. And those people don't matter anymore. 'Cause one day, I'll be as strong as all the Hokages and people will look at me with admiration, believe it!" He finish with a smile on his face.

"Yes, thanks to Lord Orochimaru, all of us have a purpose," Kimimaro said, while Jugo nodded.

Naruto and Hinata looked at each other. "Um, yeah. I guess we do. I mean, he saved me from that bandit, and told me about my parents, ya know."

"I-I just w-wonder what's i-in store for us," Hinata admitted.

"As long as you're strong, you'll be fine." Kimimaro assured.

However, this did not give Hinata any relief. She did not believe she was strong and was even more worried about what was to come. "Well then, it a good thing you're strong Hinata!" Naruto told her.

"R-really?" Hinata asked. ' _I don't feel strong. And everyone else has said I'm weak. My father, my clan, the other students back at the academy…'_

"Yeah, I mean, remember that snake training we did the last two months?" Hinata nodded while Kimimaro remember when Orochimaru put him through that training. He wasn't allowed to use his bloodline to defend himself, just run away from the snakes. "Even when you got tired, you pushed yourself to give everything you had. Even when I offered to carry you, you declined so you could get stronger." Hinata blushed from his praise.

"He is right," Kimimaro agreed. "While that was only the beginning, to endure means you do have strength and the capacity to be a powerful ninja. But only if you continue to work hard." Hinata nodded. It was nice to have encouragement. She wished her family had been more like that.

"Yeah! You are I are gonna be the best ninjas ever! Believe it!" Naruto shouted as he raised his fist into the air and lifted Hinata's hand to do the same, making her blush.

"You know, you two make a cute couple," Jugo said.

Naruto blushed red, though not as red as Hinata. They started stuttering incoherently while the two boys chuckled.  
-

Orochimaru finished putting away all the Hyūga scrolls Kabuto recovered. He was looking forward to studying them and learning all the Hyūga's secrets. Best of all, the Leaf had no idea he had them, believing they blew up with the intruder. ' _Kabuto really is good at his job. ROOT trained him well. I guess Danzo's paranoia worked well in my favor. Of course, I did inadvertently give him the only survivor of the wood style experimentations, so that makes us even.'_ He smirked as he looked at the file on his desk. ' _But soon, I'll have my own wood style user. Naruto, you want to surpass the Hokage? I'll give you the power of the strongest one, then you will help me crush the Hidden Leaf and fulfill my ambitions. You scratch my back, I scratch yours. But first...'  
_ -

Alpha: I have an announcement. I'm currently in the process of creating a new curse mark, named either the Cursed Seal of Hell or Cursed Seal of Moon. Note I only guarantee at least one of the two will get the curse mark. I may give it to Hinata, or Naruto, cause Orochimaru would be curious of the affects it has on a jinchūriki. I have special plans for these two kids.

Hinata: W-what kind of plans?

Alpha: You'll see. Anyway…

Kiba: Hey, why ain't I in this fic?

Shino: I'm not in it either.

Ino: Come on, give us the spotlight.

Alpha: Patience is a virtue.

Sakura: You're one to talk.

Alpha: Hey! I can be very patient!

Sakura: _sarcastically_ Suuure.

Alpha: Now if you'll excuse me, I need to get back to work.


	6. Chapter 6 Backstories

A/N: And now to continue this story. Enjoy and review!

Chapter 6: Backstories

For the last few days, Naruto and Hinata spent time with Jugo and Kimimaro, though the former was often asked to enter Orochimaru's lab. Kimimaro explained that Jugo's bloodline was very valuable to the snake sannin. He also showed them his own bloodline. He was able to weaponize his bones, regrow them instantly, and it gave him a unique and impenetrable skeletal structure. Naruto was amazed when Kimimaro demonstrated his bloodline and immediately started commenting on how cool it was.

Jugo was surprised by the lack of his other side around his new friends. He assumed it was either a side effect of Orochimaru's experiments or Kimimaro presence that kept it at bay. ' _Perhaps they'll never see that side of me,'_ he hoped.

The two runaways also learned more about their new friends. Both were outcasts as well, though Jugo held back why. All he said was that he was greatly feared, but admitted it was with good reason. Naruto and Hinata wondered what he meant by that, but didn't push for answers. Kimimaro explained that even in his clan, his bloodline was rare. Because of that, he was coveted as a weapon by his clan, but also feared. They locked him away until he was needed. Naruto was outraged when he heard that while Hinata was greatly saddened. Kimimaro then when on to mention how his clan was wiped out when they attacked the Hidden Mist. As the only survivor, Kimimaro was left to wander the world, alone and without purpose. Naruto could sympathise. Then were times when his life seemed meaningless. His determination, however, kept him from giving up. Eventually, the last member of the Kaguya Clan crossed paths with Orochimaru, who was interested in his bloodline and recruited him. Kimimaro was grateful. The snake sannin had given the boy purpose, and Kimimaro had sworn his loyalty to Orochimaru.

"By the way, did you ever find out why the people in your old home treated you like that?" Kimimaro once asked after a training session. Naruto had asked Kimimaro for help training since Orochimaru was busy in his lab and they didn't know where Kabuto was. Kimimaro agreed and worked on Naruto's taijutsu. Hinata was studying her clan's techniques from one of the scrolls Orochimaru acquired. He gave it to her after studying it himself and copying the contents onto another scroll. She looked up when Kimimaro asked his question. Jugo was with them, wondering the same thing as his pale friend. He noticed Naruto grow nervous, like he was debating on whether to tell them or not. "I guess that's a yes. You don't have to tell me if…"

"Thank, but I think I should. It's only fair," Naruto said. Hinata walked to his side for support. "You see, I was born on October 10, the day the Nine-Tailed Fox attacked the Hidden Leaf Village." Kimimaro nodded, having heard about it. "Me and the other kids were told that the Fourth Hokage killed it, but…"

"It was sealed inside you," Jugo guessed.

Naruto nodded. "I didn't find out until after we ran away. Bandits attack this caravan we were traveling with. They caught Hinata and wanted to take her away to the Cloud. I got really mad. Mad that I was helpless before them and… I used it's chakra. I don't really remember much, it's a blur, but apparently I wasn't myself. Hinata managed to snap me out of it though. One of the bandits recovered and attack me, but Orochimaru-sensei saved me. He then told me about the fox being in me and who my parents are."

"Who were they?" Jugo asked.

"Believe it or not, my dad was the Fourth Hokage." They seemed surprised to hear that. "And my mom was named Kushina Uzumaki. According to sensei, she was like me, a jinchūriki."

"That's not very surprising to hear that someone was a jinchūriki before you. The process of sealing tailed beasts into people has existed since the formation of the Hidden Villages. In fact, the Mist has two jinchūriki," Kimimaro explained. "Though I didn't think it would be your mother."

"Yeah, that came as a shock to me too," Naruto said. "So, you guys don't mind?" Naruto asked, noticing the lack of judgmental looks and disdain.

"No, in fact…" Jugo started, "I can sorta sympathize with your situation." Kimimaro looked a little surprised. He knew Jugo was uncomfortable explaining his problem.

"Wait, does that mean that you're like me?" Naruto asked.

"Yes and no," Jugo said, "I'm not a jinchūriki, but well… I've been given the name Bipolar Jugo because I have two personalities. See, my bloodline leaves my mind… unstable. I go into fits of uncontrollable rage, making me a danger to everyone around me. The only reason I'm out is because Kimimaro is here. He's the only one who can stop me when my urges start." He looked down sadly. "I once destroyed an entire village and since then, have isolated myself. Kimimaro found me just as I was experiencing another urge, but he easily stopped me. He told me about Orochimaru, so I agreed to be a part of his experiments in the hopes that my condition could be cured."

Naruto and Hinata were shocked to hear that. Jugo always seemed so gentle and harmless, despite his imposing figure. The way the birds and other animals would always hang around him like there was nothing be afraid of. To hear that he was prone to moments of violent insanity was completely unexpected.

"Well, didn't see that coming," Naruto finally said. "But you're not in that state of mind now, right?" Jugo nodded. "And you have no control over it, right?" Again, Jugo nodded, wondering where he was going with this. "Then I'd be a hippo-... No, a hipa…"

"Hypocrite?" Hinata offered.

"Yeah! I'd be a hypocrite for treating you badly for it. Right Hinata?"

She nodded. "I a-accepted Naruto after seeing him c-change first-hand. Y-you'll excuse me, t-though, if I say I r-really hope you d-don't change,"

"Believe me, that's the last thing I want," Jugo said with a smile, glad they still accepted him.

"I believe we should get back to training," Kimimaro said, though he too was glad.

"Alright! I'm gonna beat you this time, believe it!" Naruto shouted as he threw a punch, which Kimimaro sidestepped.  
-

Orochimaru was intrigued. One of the Hyūga scrolls shared an interesting tale. Apparently, the Hyūga were one of two clans descended from a man known as Hamura Otsutsuki, who was believed to have some relation to the Sage of the Six Paths, though it was not specified what kind. Both clans inherited the Byakugan from him, but went their separate ways. Apparently, the second clan, which kept the name Otsutsuki, traveled to the moon with Hamura to keep guard over something. But what interested him the most was this line.

' _When the two of the descended become one, the reincarnation eye awakens once more."_

This fascinated the snake sannin. He was aware of the Sharingan's evolution, the Mangekyo Sharingan, thanks to Itachi, and his research into the Uchiha Clan suggested the possibility of another evolution. He concluded that Hamura must have found a way to evolve the Byakugan, and secret to awakening it lied with the union of a Hyūga and Otsutsuki. What kind of union, he wasn't sure. Perhaps the Otsutsuki had the answer. Unfortunately, he had no way of reaching them if they truly resided on the moon. ' _There must be some way though. Hamura and the Otsutsuki must have had a way to travel to the moon. I just need to find it.'_ Unfortunately, none of the scroll he read had yet to reveal a clue as to where such a portal could be located. ' _I might have to put this on hold for awhile. Oh well.'_ He shrugged his shoulders and turned his attention back to developing his new curse seal.  
-

Kimimaro was sent on a mission by Orochimaru. Jugo insisted on being locked away and Naruto and Hinata were told not to visit him if they valued their lives. They had complied, but were worried about their friend. A few days past and Naruto was by himself. Hinata somewhere else, practicing her clan's techniques. As he ate his seventh cup of ramen, Naruto had a thought. "Wait, if no one can see him, how does Jugo eat? It's been almost a week. I bet he's really hungry." Naruto had said. "I bet he'll be happy if I bring some food."

Meanwhile, Jugo sat in a cage, chained to the wall, shaking. Parts of the left side of his face were grey and his left eye was pale yellow and the sclera was black. He was muttering incoherently to himself. It was coming, the urges. Without Kimimaro's presence to suppress them, they had come back in full force. The only thing keeping him in the cage was the fact that no one was around. He had counted the days. Kimimaro would return soon. He managed to force a small smile to his face. ' _Yes. Kimimaro will be here soon. And it'll go away. I won't be a danger.'_

He heard footsteps and thought Kimimaro had finally returned. But then he heard a voice and a pit formed in this stomach. "Hopefully, it'll make him happy. Who am I kidding? Ramen makes everyone happy."

' _Naruto? NO NO NO!'_ His bloodlust increased his next victim got closer. He tried to stop it, tried to hold it in. "Naruto!" he yelled, his voice deeper than usual.

"Jugo?" The boy moved to where he heard the voice. "I figured you'd be hungry after a week so I brought some…"

"You fool! Run! Run now!" he warned as he started pulling in the chains.

"Um, bad time?" Naruto asked as he poked his head from around the corner and gasped at Jugo's appearance.

The moment Jugo saw him, he snapped. "You shouldn't have come, because now…" He ripped the chains from the wall and ripped the cell door from it's hinges. He looked at the blond Uzumaki with a crazed look in his eyes. "I'M GONNA KILL YOU!"  
-

Orochimaru was in his study when he heard a rumble. "Sounds like Jugo's on a rampage. And Kimimaro hasn't returned yet." He sighed, not happy with the interruption. "I guess I better stop him. Too bad for whoever get in his way though." He walked out of his study and over to where the sounds were coming from.  
-

Naruto ducked as Jugo swung his grey fist, an ax blade sticking out from the side. The teen was laughing like a madman. Jugo warned him about his berserker state but still Naruto was surprised by how much different he looked and acted. But he firmly believed his friend was still in there. "Jugo! It me! Naruto! Your friend!" Naruto shouted.

"Die!" he yelled as he kicked Naruto's stomach. The boy felt all the air in him leave his body as he flew back and hit the wall. Jugo wasn't done yet though. Jets formed at his right elbow and propelled his fist right at the young Uzumaki at high speed. Naruto just barely dodged the attack and jumped away, but Jugo's left arm extended and grabbed him, then slammed him on the ground, then the roof, and on the ground again. Naruto groaned in pain and blood dripped from the corner of his mouth, but he got back up. "Resilient little one, aren't cha?" He charged once more and attacked.

Naruto had never been more thankful for Orochimaru's snake training exercises then he was now. It was the only reason he had managed to survive this long. Jugo was strong and fast, and Naruto had many close calls. He jump back form one of Jugo's punches and rushed to close the distance, kicking Jugo in the chest. Jugo paused, looking at his chest to see Naruto's foot connect and scoffed, grabbing the blond's leg and throwing him. Naruto hit the wall. Jugo jabbed at him and Naruto could only block. A bad idea as the impact broke his arm. He cried out in pain and Jugo paused before shaking his head and punching again. This time Naruto rolled to the side and stood to face Jugo, clutching his arm. "I know you're still you Jugo!" he shouted. "You don't want to kill me!"

"Don't… have a choice," Jugo said. "Right now… all that I can think about… is ripping you apart!"

Naruto shook his head. "You can control yourself. I believe in you. That's why, I won't move." Naruto released his arm. "I won't move from this spot and prove to you that you care about our friendship too much to kill me. I swear it, and I never go back on my word," he smiled, "because that's my ninja way!"

"Your funeral!" Jugo charged, his fist cocked and jets forming once more. The distance between the two got shorter and shorter, but Naruto didn't even flinch. He stood still and waited for Jugo. The orange-haired teen threw his fist forward.  
-

Kabuto and Kimimaro traveled along the cliffside until they reached a part of it. Kabuto stuck his hand out and touched the side of it. A seal array appeared briefly before the rock moved to the side slightly, just enough for the two to slip through. The way closed behind them. Soon, they heard rumbling.

"Oh no," Kimimaro said aloud. Kabuto also guessed the situation and nodded to the boy, giving him permission to run off. ' _Jugo must be having one of his fits! I have to stop him before he does something he'll regret!'_ As he ran, he wonder what could have happened. Jugo was kept in an isolated section of the base, too far to see or hear anyone. ' _Someone must have wandered into that section, but who?'_

He soon passed near Hinata, who's Byakugan was activated. She looked frantic and ran beside him. "Kimimaro! Hurry, Naruto's in trouble!"

Kimimaro quickly guess the problem. ' _Naruto, you were warned not to visit Jugo! If he killed you, he'd never forgive himself!'_ "How is he now?"

"Hurt, but alive. Jugo threw him around a bit, but…" She gasped! "Naruto tried to block Jugo's attack, but it broke his arm!"

Kimimaro ran faster, the young Hyuga struggling to keep up. ' _Got to get there in time!'_

As he turned a corner, he saw Orochimaru. He was about to say something when he noticed the look of bewilderment on his face, something he rarely saw on his master. Kimimaro looked in the same direction as his master and gasped.

Jugo's fist stopped a centimeter away from Naruto's face. The orange-haired teen was breathing heavily as the grey marks receded and disappeared and his fist returned to normal. And Naruto was sporting a smile. "Told ya you could stop yourself."

"Jugo!" Kimimaro ran to his friend's side. Jugo looked to his friend as he approached. Hinata arrived shortly after, concern on her face as she ran to Naruto.

As Jugo looked at his friends, shame was etched across his face. "Naruto… I'm so sorry. I…"

"What are you apologising for?" Naruto asked.

"I broke your arm, tried to kill you!"

"But you didn't. And you stopped yourself from doing so, all on your own," Naruto told him,still smiling, though his face would scrunch up from the pain he was in.

"I… I did, didn't I?" Jugo couldn't believe it. He never stopped himself. Even with Kimimaro, he had to be restained. Yet today, he was able to control himself. "But still, why did you come?"

"Well, I thought you'd be hungry. I mean, you've been alone and chained up for a week. I figured I should bring you something." He looked to where he dropped the bowl of ramen and instantly got depressed. "Aw man, what a waste of good ramen."

Orochimaru simply looked at the group, confused at what just happened. One second, Jugo was in his psychotic state and suddenly he changes in time to stop himself. Normally, it took a release of superior killer intent or physical restraint to stop him, but he just stopped. And Naruto didn't do anything. He didn't show the fox's chakra, not that he could even if he wanted to with the Five Pronged Seal still on him. And clearly Jugo was much stronger than him. So what stopped him? Shaking his head, he figured he'd find out some other time. "Kimimaro."

Kimimaro looked away from his friend and bowed. The others did too, though Hinata needed to remind Naruto to do so. "Forgive me, Lord Orochimaru. I should have acknowledged your presence."

"Did Kabuto return with you?" he asked.

"Yes. He is here in the base, He should be in his lab."

"Good. Hinata." Hinata looked up. "Take Naruto to him. I need him at full strength for what's to come." Hinata nodded and helped Naruto. "And Naruto," he looked at the boy in disapproval, "When I give an order, you follow it, That was the agreement. Loyalty in exchange for power. So when I say you can't visit Jugo, you don't visit Jugo. You would do well to remember that."

"Sorry sensei," he said as he rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I just didn't want him to starve."

"You needn't worry about that. Jugo is a very valuable subject. I need him alive. And as for food, there's a small window, big enough to allow his aviary friends to bring him berries when he's in a more cooperative state. Now go." Naruto asked Hinata what he meant by aviary friends as she guided him to Kabuto's lab.  
-

"You're lucky. Most of Jugo's victims end up a lot worse," Kabuto commented as he finished Naruto cast. "Still, this delays Lord Orochimaru's plans. He won't be happy about that."

"What plans?" Naruto asked.

"You'll know when the time comes," he told the blond.

Come on! Tell me!" Naruto demanded.

"No."

"Please?"

"No.

"Please?"

"Do you want me to disable your voice box again?" Naruto pouted but let it go. "Good, now go, I've got work to do." Kabuto turned his back to them. Naruto walked out and held the door for Hinata, but she said she'll catch up to him later. Naruto shrugged and closed the door. "Was there something else?"

"Um," Hinata tapped her index fingers together as Kabuto waited for her to answer, though he still had his back to her. "I-I was w-wondering… I-If you c-could teach m-me medical n-ninjutsu."

Now Kabuto turned around. "Interesting. Why do you want to learn that? What about your clan's jutsu?"

"W-well," She thought about Naruto. He looked well roughed up after his bout with Jugo. Then an image of him being hurt much worse flashed through her mind, making her heart ache. "I want to b-be able to help m-my friends. W-with my clan's t-techniques, I can f-fight for them. B-but I a-also want t-to be able to save them w-when they get hurt."

"How noble," Kabuto said. "Little piece of advice, noble actions aren't always rewarded. Trust me, I know."

"W-what do you mean?" Hinata asked.

He sighed. "I guess it's my turn to tell my sad tale. I came from a village that was destroyed during on of the great wars. I have no memories prior to it's destruction, no knowledge of my parents, though they were probably dead. I was the only survivor after all. I ended up in the Hidden Leaf Orphanage, the one outside the village. There I learned medical ninjutsu and helped injured shinobi along with some of the other orphans and the caretakers, in order to keep the place placed funded. Then one day, ninja from the leaf came, demanding that one of the caretakers, the one we all came to call mother, return to her ANBU duties and that one of us come too to be trained, or they'd cut the funding for the orphanage." Hinata gasped. "I volunteered and left. Never turned actually. For years, I train and worked as a spy. In that time I had infiltrated the four other major hidden villages, performing jobs from espionage to sabotage to assassination. And I was good at it. I did everything asked of me and here's how I was repaid." Kabuto clenched his fists. "After the end of my mission in the Hidden Stone, my contact tried to kill me, so I killed her first, only to find out it was mother, the woman who taught me everything she knew about medical ninjutsu, gave me a name, these glasses, a home! And worse, she didn't even recognise me!" Hinata squeaked as Kabuto yelled that last part. He took a deep breath and calmed himself down. "Our little skirmish had attracted the attention of the Hidden Stone shinobi looking for me, so I ran in hid. It was then that I met Orochimaru. This was before he defected mind you. He told everything. How the Leaf trick her by sending pictures of me, only to add subtle changes to each new pic until she assumed I looked much different than I actually did. That she was ordered to kill me, not knowing she was going to kill the orphan boy she once cared for. That in reality, we were suppose to get rid of each other, with Orochimaru dealing with the survivor."

"B-but why?" Hinata asked. "Why would…"

"Would they do that?" Kabuto finished for her. "The answer, we were good. Too good. We knew too much and knew the power of knowledge. So they decided to get rid of us."

"I'm sorry, about what happened to you," Hinata said, offering her condolences.

"Well, my point is, noble action are taken advantage of by others. Best you can do is look out for yourself."

"B-but Naruto w-would never t-take advantage of me," Hinata insisted.

"Then keep the group small. Those you trust almost absolutely, or better yet, those you can keep an eye on," Kabuto told her.

"S-so, does t-this mean y-you'll teach me?" Hinata asked.

Kabuto thought about it for a moment. "I could use an assistant. And your chakra control should be above average due to your Hyūga upbringing. But I warn you, it won't be pretty. You'll have to deal with grotesque sights at times. Open bodies, deformations, infected body parts..." Kabuto listed them off.

Hinata felt a bit queasy, but shook it off. She wouldn't back out. "I-I'll endure."

"Alright, then let's begin."  
-

Alpha: Just to let you know, the Tenseigan is not guaranteed, nor will it happen soon if I do it. If I do decided to give Hinata those eyes, it'll be post timeskip when she's 15 or 16. Don't want her too strong too soon after all. Anyway, soon I'll move on to the real training! And then, the formation of Team… uh…

Naruto: Team Naruto!

Alpha: Really? I think I can come up with a better name.

Naruto: Like what?

Alpha: Um…

Naruto: I'm waiting.

Alpha: Don't rush me. Good ideas take time. Hmm… Team Vulpine? No. Team Fox? No, I think that's taken. Team Kitsune?

Naruto: Oh, I got it!

Alpha: What?

Naruto; Team Uzumaki.

Alpha: Maybe… Or maybe we should move from fox names and yours. Like uh… Wait, why are we discussing this now? This is chapters away.

Naruto: Well I'm still rooting for Team Uzumaki. That's a great name, right Hinata.

Hinata: Sure, Naruto.


	7. Chapter 7 Growing the Seeds of Doubt

A/N: For those of you who are wonder why Iruka is currently not part of the list of people Naruto knows who care about him, read the Sand version of my Runaways stories.

Chapter 7: Growing the Seeds of Doubt

Outside, the rain poured endlessly, drenching everything. Within the tallest tower in the village, a man and woman waited for the arrival of an important guest. The woman had light blue hair with a blue paper flower in it and amber eyes. Under her bottom lip had a small piercing. The man had spiky orange hair, piercings all over his face and ears, and purple ripple pattern eyes. Both wore black cloaks with red clouds on them. "I do not see why we still need him," the woman said.

"Our interests align Konan," the man responded. "So as long as we share the same goals, it would be better to keep him as an ally, rather than make him an enemy."

"Well said, Pain." The air in from of them became warped and a man appear, wearing a spiral orange mask with one eyehole on the right, and a black bodysuit and flak jacket.

"Madara," Pain greeted.

"Let's get down to business. Zetsu informs me that Sasori has learn of Orochimaru's plans to revive the wood style bloodline."

"Yes. If he succeeds, it could be a problem," Pain said. "Orochimaru's motives are a mystery. He seems uninterested in our goals, yet he stays. I do not trust him. The only reason I've allowed him to stay is so we can keep an eye on him."

"I agree," Madara said with a nod. "That snake is not trustworthy at all. But he does provide an opportunity. Hashirama was able to subdue the tailed beast with his bloodline."

"What are you saying?" Konan asked.

"I'm saying if Sasori's spy reports a success, you are to inform Zetsu of where he intends to perform the procedure and I will take care of it, personally." Madara told them.

"Why?" Konan asked, curious. It was rare that Madara would deal with such things himself.

"Hashirama was my rival, remember? I battled with him many times, so I know his jutsu, making me the only one who can properly teach whoever this person to utilized their new bloodline. And once I'm done, this person will be our secret weapon in our quest for peace." Before more could be said, Madara swirled away.  
-

A month had passed since the incident with Jugo. Naruto's arm was fully healed. In fact, it had healed in a week thanks to his healing factor. Orochimaru had finally removed the Five Pronged Seal from him and had him working on the three basic jutsu taught at the academy, the transformation, substitution, and clone jutsu. As usual, Naruto complained about wanting to learn cool jutsu, but again, Orochimaru refused. However, did state that he had a special surprise in store for him, one that would grant him great power. However, preparations needed to be made first, so Naruto was left with the three basic jutsus to practice.

Naruto was in the training room. "Clone Jutsu!" There was a puff of smoke and a once again, the clone did not turn out right. "Gah! Why won't this jutsu work?" he shouted. Even after a month, he still could not make a proper clone. He could substitute with a log and his transformations were good most of the time, but clones were impossible for him. They always turned out pale and sickly.

One of Orochimaru's shinobi appeared in the room. "Lord Orochimaru summons you," he said, crossing his arms as he looked at the imperfect clone. He like the other subordinates didn't understand what interest Orochimaru would have in the boy, but none of them would dare question their master. To do so was a death sentence. "He is in his study. Do not keep him waiting."

"Alright, I'm going, I'm going." Naruto walked past him toward Orochimaru's study. Moving through the labyrinth of hallways, he arrived at his destination and knocked. "Sensei?"

"Enter," came the commanding voice of the sannin.

Naruto did so. Orochimaru had his back to him, currently reading something on his desk. The room was filled with scrolls. "You called?"

"Yes." The snake sannin turned around to face him. "As I'm sure you remember, I told you I had something special planned, something that would grant you great power."

"Is it ready?" Naruto asked, excited to find out what it is.

"Almost, but first I need to reaffirm our agreement."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, do what you say... Be loyal to you… blah blah blah… I know. I said I would and I never go back on my word. That's my ninja way!"

"Even if I ordered you to attack the Leaf?" Orochimaru asked.

Naruto went bug eyed. "Attack the Leaf? But… But why would you do that?"

"I have my reasons, but that's irrelevant. The fact is, the shinobi of the Hidden Leaf are my enemy. Which means they are now your enemy. I don't see how you can have that much of a problem with that though. I told you before, you can never return, lest you become an emotionless puppet or a caged animal, and besides, given how you were treated there, you have reason to hate the village too."

"Well, it's just…" Naruto trailed off. It's true, he had little reason to care about the Leaf. The villagers treated him like with great distain he contained the fox demon, verbally and physically assaulting him. Yet there were 5 good reasons he couldn't turn against the Leaf. "There are people there that were kind to me. People who are precious to me, ya know. Like Old Man Hokage. He never looked at me with contempt."

"No, but he did keep you from your godmother," Orochimaru responded.

Naruto looked at the sannin in shock. "G-godmother?"

The snake sannin inwardly smirked as he nodded. "Yes, your parents named two people as your godparents, so that in the event that anything happened to them, you would be taken care of by one of them."

"So who was my godmother?" the boy asked, wondering why the Hokage never told him about her. ' _I can't believe it. I have a godmother! But why didn't she take care of me.'_

"She was your mother's best friend, Mikoto Uchiha," Orochimaru answered.

"Wait, that's Sasuke's last name," Naruto pointed out.

"Indeed, she was his mother. At some point in their lives, Mikoto and Kushina became close friends, so close in fact that your mother intrusted her with your well being incase you were orphaned."

"But then why didn't she?" Naruto asked.

"You have your 'beloved' Hokage to thank for that. He blocked her efforts to adopt you. Too bad too. If she had adopted you, not only would you be associated with one of the most powerful clans there is, but you would have had a mom and dad and two brothers."

Naruto got lost in thought, think of what his life would have been like if that happened. He and Sasuke never got along, but he didn't hate the guy. And honestly, being brothers with him wouldn't be the worst thing to ever happen to him. ' _I can't believe the old man prevent that from happening to me! Why would he do that? I always wanted a family and now I find out I could have but the old man kept it from happening. First my parents, now my godparents… What more is there I don't know?'_

"Of course, perhaps it's for the best, considering Itachi, or should I say Weasel, killed all the Uchiha besides Sasuke."

"What? Weasel was Itachi?" Naruto exclaimed.

Orochimaru nodded. "And he's now a part of the Akatsuki, the guys hunting you, remember?" He looked at Naruto's face as the information sank in. ' _Good. Telling him about his parents earlier put doubt in his head, but now I'm starting to actually turn him against the Leaf. And the best part, I don't even need to lie or make up anything. You truly were a fool, Sarutobi-sensei.'_

' _I… I thought Weasel cared about me, but if he really is Itachi, then maybe it was all an act. He did kill his own family after all.'_ Then realization set in. ' _And that means my godmother is dead.'_ "Wait, you said godparents! Which means I have a godfather! Or is he…"

"Dead, no. He's very much alive and I know him all too well. He's my former teammate and your father's sensei, Jiraiya. A strong shinobi, though not at my level despite what he thinks. But he has an unhealthy obsession with the female body."

"So he's a pervert?" Naruto asked.

"That word doesn't even begin to do him justice," Orochimaru said as he nearly groaned at all the memories of seeing Jiraiya's antics. ' _He was such a clown. Still is actually.'_

"So the old man stopped him from adopting me too?" Naruto asked, anticipating his sensei's answer.

To his surprise, the sannin shook his head. "No, for some reason he chose his vice over you."

"Vice?"

"The obsession I mentioned mentioned early. And he's not the only one who could have taken you in. Why, your 'friend' Dog was your father's only surviving student, and yet he had to be ordered by the Hokage to bother with you."

A wave of sadness hit the boy hard. ' _I… I didn't have to be alone. I could have had a family. But the people who could have taken me in, the people who could have give me that, even if it was just one… They didn't want to or weren't allowed to in my godmother's case. And now she's dead.'_ He lowered his head.

"So, what do you want to say now? If I ordered you to attack the Leaf, to assist me in destroying your former home, would you do so, without question or hesitation?" Orochimaru asked again.

Naruto didn't look up. The memories of the good times he had in the Leaf played in his mind, but somehow, most of them didn't seem as sweet, specifically the ones with the Hokage and the ANBU he believed cared for him. "I… I don't know," he finally answered.

"Hmm, I suppose that's good enough for now. No more training, you'll need all your strength tomorrow for the procedure." He waved his dismissively. "Now go." Naruto turned, his head still down and walked out. Once the door shut behind him, he ran off to his room. In his study, Orochimaru smirked. ' _The seeds of doubt take time to grow, but when they do, I will have obtained a powerful tool. And the Leaf will fall at my hands.'_

Hinata's training for the past month consisted of sorting files, fetching tools, and assisting in setting up equipment, as well as studying every aspect of the human body, which Kabuto would quiz her on. After the first week, a few Orochimaru's men returned from a mission, injured. One even required surgery, which Kabuto made Hinata present for, not to assist, but to watch. When Kabuto started cutting the patient open, she fainted. When she woke up later, Kabuto motioned her toward the table where he was working. However, the sight made her rush to the nearest trash bin and throw up, while Kabuto shook his head and continued with the operation.

She was now returning to her room when she saw Naruto rush into his and slam the door. Hinata caught a glimpse of his face. It was full of despair. ' _What happened to make Naruto so sad?'_ Hinata wondered. After a brief internal debate, she approached his door and knocked. "N-Naruto? It's me, Hinata."

For a moment, there was no response. Then after about half a minute, the door opened a bit and Naruto popped his head through the opening. His eyes were closed and he had a smile that Hinata could instantly tell was fake. "Oh, Hinata, is there something you want?"

"Um…" She started fidgeting. Was this any of her business? Should she just leave him alone? ' _No. Naruto spent his life alone. I want to be there for him, to cheer him up when he's down.'_ "I-I saw you r-rushing to y-you're room and w-wanted to k-know w-what's wrong."

"Oh, nothing," Naruto lied. "I'm fine, see?"

Hinata was almost tempted to leave it at that and just leave, but she remember the look on Naruto's face before he entered his room. "N-Naruto, I c-can tell you're faking," she told him.

The smile dropped from his face. "Guess I can't fool you, huh?" Hinata shook her head. He sighed. "Don't worry about it, I'll be alright."

Hinata did believe Naruto could get through whatever he was going on with him alone, but she didn't want him too. He had already done so for years back in the Leaf. This was suppose to be a chance for a new life, not just for him, but for her too. She didn't want to just watch him, too nervous to help him, not anymore. "Naruto, I-I want to help you. I w-want to bear your burdens w-with you." Her cheeks grew red as she said those words. "Please let me?"

Naruto looked at her dumbstruck. No one's ever as that of him before and he couldn't bring himself to refuse. "Fine, come in." He opened the door more to let her in.

She walked in the door and both sat down on Naruto's bed as he told her everything Orochimaru told him earlier. She was surprised to hear that his godparents were the Uchiha matriarch and one of the sannin, but what shocked and even angered was when he explained that the Hokage didn't let Mikoto adopt him and that Jiraiya and Kakashi chose not to take care of him. While she was sure the sannin had important shinobi business, that didn't excuse him for not visiting or even writing to Naruto, instead leaving him alone all these years.

"I just… can't believe it, ya know," Naruto said after he finished explaining. "One of the people I considered precious to me turns out to be a killer who is now hunting me and others like me down, the two people closest to my father wanted nothing to do with me, with one only hanging out with me because he was ordered to, and the Hokage… He hid my parents' identity from me… He kept my godmother from me… I don't want to be mad at him. He was always nice to me, making sure I was alright and he seemed to support my dream of being Hokage one day. But… I don't know if I can forgive him for this. I mean, why not tell me who my father was? Who my mother was? Why not let my godmother adopt me?"

Hinata didn't say anything. She wished she had the answers to his questions, but she could only wonder the same herself. She looked at Naruto, his head hung lower, and, with bravery she didn't think she had, wrapped her arms around him, surprising the blond. Even as her face turned bright red, she spoke so softly that were it not for their close proximity, he wouldn't have heard her. "I-I wish I c-could tell you, Naruto. I w-wish I could've d-done something s-sooner, so y-you didn't have to b-be alone f-for so long. B-but I p-promise now, that I'll a-always be there for you." She couldn't believe what she was saying. She meant every word of it, but she never imagined she'd ever have the courage to say such things.

Naruto himself couldn't believe his ears, but he was overcome with joy as he hugged her back. "Thank you, Hinata! Thank you so much!" Tears of joy came from his eyes.

Unfortunately, the girl didn't hear him. The moment Naruto hugged her back, she was finally overwhelmed by everything she had done and said and fainted, her face completely red with a small smile adorning it.  
-

Two days later, Hinata woke up to the sounds of someone knocking on her door. Throwing off the covers, showing her lavender pajamas, she went toward the door and opened it, surprised to see Kabuto. "Oh, s-sensei."

"Get dressed and come with me," he ordered. "Lord Orochimaru has an important project for me today and as my disciple, you are going to assist."

"A-are you s-sure I s-should help? I-I mean, I don't w-wanna screw up and make L-lord Orochimaru mad."

Kabuto sighed. This was not the first time she said something like this. "If you continue with this constant doubt, then yes, you will fail Lord Orochimaru. And if you're gonna keep second guessing everything you do, then clearly I'm wasting my time teaching you."

Hinata hung her head in shame as Kabuto turned around. ' _Maybe he's right. Maybe everyone was right. All I am is a burden.'_

" _You're learning medical ninjutsu with Kabuto?"_ Naruto had said when Hinata told him a month ago. " _Awesome! I bet you'll do great, believe it!"_

' _But Naruto doesn't think I'm a burden. He believes in me and I can't let him down. I need to be strong like he is, and prove I can be useful.'_ "W-wait," Hinata spoke, just loud enough for Kabuto to hear. "I-I'll get dressed and go with you." She closed the door and got changed. Kabuto waited and a few minutes later she came out in her usual attire.

As Kabuto led the way, he explained what would be happening. "Ever since the death of the First Hokage, Leaf scientist, Lord Orochimaru included, have tried replicating his abilities using his DNA. Unfortunately, all attempts have been unsuccessful so far. Or so we thought. Shortly after your recruitment, the Leaf's ANBU team that was after you and Naruto infiltrated Lord Orochimaru's hideout, resulting in your hasty transfer to a new location. I'm sure you know what I'm talking about." Hinata nodded. Getting thrown into the mouths of a two-headed serpent was not exactly something you forget easily. "One of the ANBU possessed the Wood Style kekkei genkai. Lord Orochimaru was able to recover a DNA sample before he made his exit."

"S-so you p-plan to try again?" Hinata asked.

"Correct. Thanks to the sample, we were able to adjust the procedure to increase the chances of success. Plus, the test subject possesses strong vitality and endurance for someone his age." A pit formed in the center of Hinata's stomach, though she didn't know why. Perhaps it was simply the fact that she was assisting in experimenting on someone. Kabuto could see the look of unease on her face. "I may interest you to know that the subject is fully aware of the procedure and the risks involved." That seemed settle her a little, but she may need more assurance. ' _Plus she'll freak out when she sees who our test subject is. Perhaps…'_ They stopped the double doors leading to the Orochimaru's laboratory where the procedure would take place. "Wait here," Kabuto ordered her as he walked through the doors.

Hinata did as she was told and waited. She did not like the idea of experimenting on people, not at all. But she couldn't go against Orochimaru or Kabuto, so she only hoped her part in it was minimal. The door opened and Hinata expected either Kabuto or Orochimaru to exit, but instead to her surprise, it was Naruto. "N-Naruto?"

He gave a little wave. "Hey Hinata," he greet, though he seemed nervous for some reason.

Hinata was about to asked what he was doing in there when it clicked. Her eyes widened as she looked at him in horror. "No… No no no! Naruto, please tell me you aren't doing what I think you're doing."

"Uh, kinda?" Naruto scratched the back of his head. "Look Hinata…"

"You can't do this!" Hinata shouted, surprising the blond since she rarely raised her voice. "It's too dangerous!"

"Hinata…"

"I said no! You can't do this! You could… You could…" She clung to him and started sobbing into his chest, which was a bit difficult considering she was slightly taller than him. "I don't want you to die," she said, her voice muffled. He was her source of strength and the first person besides her mother to ever believe in her. She couldn't loss him, not so soon and definitely not like this. "Please don't do this."

Initially, Naruto was in a state of shock, but it wore off and he wrapped his arms around her. "I'm sorry, Hinata. But I gotta do this."

"Why?" she asked as she looked up at him, her tear-ridden eye tearing Naruto apart. "What's so important to you that you'd risk your life like this?"

"You," he answered, shocking the girl. "You and Kimimaro and Jugo, and even Kabuto and Orochimaru-sensei," he added, disappointing the girl a bit since he didn't mean what she thought he meant. "Your all important to me. Because of all of you, I have friends who accept me even with the fox in me. I know who my parents are, and even if my godmother wasn't able to adopt me, I know that she at least wanted me. That why I want to be able to protect all of you, but I need to be a lot stronger to do so."

"Naruto…" She wiped her eyes with one hand, unsure of what to say.

"Because of what I am, people will be after me. Remember how Orochimaru-sensei told me there was a group of people after people like me, the Akatsuki?" Hinata nodded. "When they do come after me, you'll all be in danger. Sensei even said there were people stronger than him. And I just know all of you will be caught in the crossfire."

"But still," Hinata argued. "The risks… You could…"

"I won't," he interrupted. "I won't die yet. I will survive and become even stronger. I swear it and I never go back on my word! That's my ninja way!"

Hinata looked up into those blue eyes so full of determination. She released him and pulled away a bit. "I still don't like this," she admitted, "b-but fine. A-and I'll g-get stronger too." Naruto looked at her and determination filled her eyes too. "I'll b-become a great medic to heal you when you're hurt, and I'll get stronger so I can fight alongside you."

Naruto stood amazed at the determination of her's mirroring his own before smiling. "Yeah! We'll be the strongest there is, believe it!" He rushed back into the laboratory, Hinata following slowly behind.

The room was full of equipment, some of which Hinata recognised. There was a large metal table with straps on it below a device with many needles on it, some short and some long. They were a number of large tubes, each big enough to hold a full grown adult. Orochimaru and Kabuto waited by the metal table. "If you're finally ready, let's begin," Orochimaru stated, clearly eager to get started.

"Alright! Let's get this show on the road," Naruto exclaimed. He was excited at the idea of gaining the power of the First Hokage, the strongest of all of them. Then he could better protect his friends.

Orochimaru smirked at the young boy's enthusiasm. "Good, then let's begin."  
-

Alpha: Next chapter will explain what Jugo and Kimimaro have been up to.

Hiruzen: This is not good.

Jiraiya: In my defense, I was doing more than my research for my amazing books. I am the Leaf's spymaster after all.

Alpha: Hey, I get it. Although, when you think about it, ya could have visited him at least once when he was a kid. Or written him a letter from time to time.

Naruto: Oh well, what's past is past. I still can't believe the me of this fic is following Orochimaru.

Alpha: You're seven years old in this fic. You're more susceptible to outside influence.

Jiraiya: Still, he'll never be as great as he was under me, the great toad sage of Mt. Myoboku!

Orochimaru: We'll see.


	8. Chapter 8 The Experiment

A/N: Enjoy and review!

Chapter 8: The Experiment

A pungent odor brought Hinata back into consciousness. She looked and saw Kabuto kneeled over her, a small glass vial in his hand. She assumed it was smelling salts. "What happened?" Hinata asked, confused.

"You fainted after we told Naruto to strip," Kabuto said. Hinata turned red when she remembered. She vaguely remembered hearing him shout in protest before darkness overtook her completely. She looked around and blushed deeper. Naruto was in one of the tubes, submerged in some sort of green liquid with a mask on for him to breathe and tubes connected to him. What made her blush though was his attire, or rather lack thereof. Only the convenient covering of some tubes kept her from seeing more than she was ready for and rendering her unconscious once again. His eyes were closed, leading her to concluded he was currently wasn't awake. "He was injected with Hashirama's DNA." ' _After arguing with him for about a half hour before knocking him out,'_ he mentally added. "This liquid will help with the bonding process," the young medic explained. "Your job is to monitor his vitals and alert me of any changes so I can make adjustments accordingly." Hinata nodded and turned to the many monitors displaying Naruto's heart rate, blood pressure, etc.

Orochimaru stood in front of the tube, a smirk forming on his face. ' _If this works, I will have the power of the Senju in my grasp. And in a few years, the power of the Uchiha will also be mine!'_

* * *

Kimimaro sidestepped Jugo's punch and jabbed him in the gut, making him stumble back. Jugo, in his berserker state, glared at the younger boy and charged. Kimimaro raised his arm as bones stuck out to form a small makeshift shield and blocked Jugo's punch, sliding back slightly. ' _You've gotten stronger.'_ Kimimaro thought as he threw Jugo's fist aside and swept under his feet. Jugo jumped kicked Kimimaro's head hard and sent him flying to the side. Kimimaro hit the wall and fell to the ground before getting back up like it was nothing. Jugo cocked his fist back and punched, his arm stretching to cover the distance. Kimimaro batted the fist aside and quickly closed the distance between them and unleashed a flurry of punches that left Jugo battered before kicking him back. Jugo crashed into wall and fell down, his body returning to normal. Kimimaro walked over and offer his hand, "You alright?"

Taking his friend's hand and getting up, Jugo responded, "Has anyone ever told you you punch really hard?"

A slight chuckle escaped Kimimaro. "A few times." His face then became serious. "Well?"

Jugo shook his head. "No, I wasn't anywhere close to regaining control, on my own. This was all you." For the past month, Jugo has been training with Kimimaro to control his power. The incident with Naruto proved it was possible and he wanted to be able to. His bloodline has caused a lot of unwanted harm, but perhaps he could use it to do some good for his friends.

But so far, there was no progress. Everytime he tapped into the nature energy he absorbs, he goes berserk and is unable to regain control until Kimimaro beat him up or subdues him. ' _Was it a one-time fluke?'_ Jugo started to wonder.

Kimimaro put his hand to his chin. "Hmm, tell me, what happens when you lose control? Do you still see and hear everything?"

Jugo looked away. "Yeah, I do." He always did, and the memories plagued him in his sleep.

"And what was going on in your mind at the time you were about to kill Naruto?" Jugo thought for a moment. What was going on in his mind at the time it happened? "Think on it. It may hold the answers you seek. For now, let's grab lunch." The two headed toward the kitchen.

Arriving there, they saw Hinata placing a variety of food consisting of teriyaki chicken, rice, and tempura shrimp on a large tray. "That's a lot of food for a little girl," Jugo commented.

Hinata jumped in surprise and turned around. "O-oh, Jugo. Kimimaro," she greeted before turning back to her task, pouring some tea into the cups. "This isn't just for me. Lord Orochimaru asked me to fetch him and Kabuto-sensei food while they tend to Naruto's experiment."

"Experiment?" Jugo repeated in confusion. "What experiment?"

"I'm sorry, b-but I'm not allowed to say," Hinata replied. The two nodded in understanding. Orochimaru was not someone who would allow such things to be spoken in public. "A-although, I'm sure once it's over, Naruto will want to show off." She couldn't help but giggle, knowing Naruto well enough to imagine his shouting out his new ability and showing it off for all to see. ' _I just hope he doesn't get in trouble for it.'_

"That does sound like him," Kimimaro admitted as he remember when Naruto completed the transformation jutsu and started turning into everyone he saw.

"Um, i-if you guys a-are looking for food, I made e-extras, incase anyone w-wanted something." She gestured to the extra food next to her. The two thanked her and grabbed some. They were surprised to learn she knew how to cook due to her background as an heiress. Hinata explained that she liked cooking and she prefered to do things herself instead of relying on the branch family since in her mind they were family, not servants. She left out of course that what really got her started was the fact that she heard the best way to a man's heart was through his stomach. Unfortunately, she never had the courage to actually give Naruto the lunch she made him back then so she ended up always giving them to Kō. Grabbing the tray, Hinata headed back to the lab.  
-

Weeks passed and Hinata stayed with Naruto as long as she could, often staying up all night watching him. She found his lack of attire bearable when she focused only on his face. Of course, she kept an eye on the various monitors to make sure he was alright and only took short naps to keep total exhaustion at bay, never allowing herself the luxury of a deep sleep. When she left, it was not for long, usually only to fetch food.

One day, Kabuto did not come to the lab, confusing Hinata until Orochimaru informed her that he was on a mission. Hinata found it odd considering how important the experiment was and how vital Kabuto's role was but she did not question him, as she was still scared of the snake sannin and did not want to anger of annoy him by questioning him. It was another week until her sensei returned. And when he did, she was order to leave the room and not to return until told to. She wanted to argue but one look of Orochimaru's face made her courage falter and she left the room.

Once she was gone and they made sure Naruto would be unconscious for the duration of their conversation, Orochimaru asked, "So what did Sasori want?"

"This location. It would seem the Akatsuki are more interested in your wood style experiments than we originally anticipated, Lord Orochimaru," Kabuto reported.

The snake sannin sighed. "I had hope they'd see my attempts as a fool's gambit, but it makes sense they would be interested. Hashirama was able to subdue all the tailed beasts with his bloodline, and since the Akatsuki's endgame is the acquisition of said beasts, they would want to mold him into their tool." He put a hand to his chin. "The only question is who Pain will send to 'ask' for my experiment. Kabuto?" He turned to his right-hand man.

"None of the other members are nearby, nor are they headed this way. And Sasori has left the country," Kabuto reported, having seen the updates from Orochimaru's other spies keeping track of the Akatsuki's movements. "There has also been no movement from the Hidden Rain."

"Which means it could only be him," Orochimaru concluded. He had been surprised when Kabuto had brought him news of the real leader of the Akatsuki, and even more to learn that it was an Uchiha long thought dead. "Once the experiment is over and you've sent word of our success, take your apprentice and leave to the hideout in the forests near the Hidden Leaf. Make sure to train her well, but do not neglect your duties as my spy in the Hidden Leaf."

"And if the boy should die? That's still a possibility, my lord." Kabuto pointed out.

"I'm feeling optimistic, but should it happen, then we shall see. The young Hyūga cares greatly for the boy and may not react will to his demise, and if we cannot get her under control, it may be better to simply harvest her eyes and ovums, then breed a new Hyūga."  
-

It was a month later that Naruto exhibited some changes. His patches of skin would turn wooden for a second before turning back. One time, his entire left arm turned to wood. These moments seemed to bring him pain as he would furrow his brow. Hinata told Kabuto and Orochimaru, but they informed her it was a normal part of the procedure. "His DNA is being infused with that of the First Hokage," Kabuto had explained. "Naturally there will be pain involved. He must bear it if he wants to survive."

That did not make her feel any better, but all she could do is hope it would all be over soon.

It was now halfway through the second month. Hinata's eyes struggled to stay open as she sat in a chair in front of the monitors. There were bags under them from long nights. She wonder how Kabuto and Orochimaru were able to stay up with little trouble. ' _They must have lots of practice. No doubt from the many experiments they've done on people.'_ She shivered at the thought. ' _I hope I never have to be a part of one of them. Naruto may be ok with being their lab rat, but he's strong in a way I'm not. I probably wouldn't survive for very long.'_ As the seconds turned to minutes, Hinata found it harder and harder to keep her eyes open. ' _I guess it's time for another quick nap. Just… a few… minutes.'_ She allowed her eyes to close and leaned back on the chair, but just as she did, a loud noise jarred her awake. "Huh? Wha…" She looked at the monitors and gasped. Naruto's vitals were going haywire! "Kabuto-sensei!" she shouted.

"I see!" he shouted back as he manned the console that controlled what went through the tubes connect to Naruto's body. He began inserting chemicals that Hinata could not yet identify but she didn't think very much on it when she saw Naruto. His body was spasming and parts of his body turned from skin to wood and back randomly. She could vaguely hear muffled noises from him as bubbles escaped from the side of the mask he wore. Hinata guessed he was screaming in pain. "I've already buzzed Lord Orochimaru." Kabuto informed her as he stood next to her. "Listen, this is the final stage. I've done all that can be done, so all that's left is to wait. His body needs to accept the foreign DNA. If it doesn't, Hashirama's power will become unstable and..."

He was interrupted when wooden spikes erupted from Naruto's left arm. Hinata gasped and activated her Byakugan to see what was going on, only to gasp again. She could see two chakra signatures fighting each other. ' _Oh no! Naruto's body is rejecting the it!'_ Not knowing what else to do. She ran to the tube and hugged it. "Naruto! You have to survive! You promised you would!"

"You're wasting your time. That's not gonna help at all," Kabuto informed her.

She ignored him. "You promised, and you never go back on your word." A tear went down her eye. "Because that your ninja way! Our ninja way! So please, Naruto!"  
-

" _Naruto!"_

' _Hinata?'_ His eyes shot open. Naruto was laying in water wearing his orange jumpsuit, but did not feel wet. He sat up and saw he was in what looked like a sewer, with pipes running through, large tree roots wrapped around them. "Where am I?" he asked aloud. Something slashed next to him and he realised the place was falling apart.

" **You stupid brat!"**

Naruto jumped hearing the voice, standing up and turning around. There was a large cell that seem to be held closed with a piece of paper with some kind of sealing formula on it. But what surprised him was the giant fox on the other side with nine tails. "Nine-Tails?" he asked in surprise.

" **You know any other multi-tailed foxes sealed inside you?"** he asked, annoyance evident in his voice.

Frowning, Naruto shouted, "Excuse me for being surprised! Where the hell am I and what's going on? Why's this place falling apart?"

The tailed beast growled. " **We're in your mindscape and as for why it's falling apart, the answer is simple: You're dying."**

"What!" Naruto shouted as his eyes bugged out. "I'm dying? Why? How?" he demanded.

" **It's your fault for volunteering for that foolish experiment!"** the fox shouted. " **Your chakra is not compatible with Hashirama's and is now fighting it!"**

"Why? Because of you?" Naruto asked.

" **Don't blame this on me!"** the Nine-Tails shouted before he began to explain. " **Hashirama had water and earth as his chakra's affinity. If you had one of them, it would be easier, but you have wind chakra!"**

"How is that important?" Naruto asked.

" **You really are an idiot. Forget it for now! Let's focus on fixing the problem you caused."** Naruto huffed and crossed his arms at the acquisition, but listen. " **Like I said, your chakra is fighting Hashirama's. However, if my chakra is introduced into your system, perhaps it will force the two signatures to combine in order to repel my own."**

"Perhaps?" Naruto asked with a raised eyebrow.

" **You want a guarantee? I have none. In fact I kinda doubt it'll even work, but it's all I got. None of my other containers have been stupid enough to do anything like this!"**

"Hey!" Naruto shouted before pausing. ' _Other containers? So that means Orochimaru-sensei was telling the truth.'_ A part of him did have some doubts of Orochimaru's words. "Why are you helping me anyway?"

" **Don't get the wrong idea. I'd kill you myself if I could, but this seal not only keeps me from doing so, but also means if you die, I go with you, and while I can reform, it's not exactly a pleasant experience."**

Naruto seemed to think for a moment. "Got it! What do I do?"

" **Just let me squeeze some chakra some chakra through the seal. Of course, it could go faster if you removed the seal."**

"Nice try, but I'm not that stupid."

" **Was worth a shot."** The Nine-Tails shrugged as a few tendrils of red chakra came from his body. It moved past the bars and hit Naruto, who suddenly felt very hot.  
-

Orochimaru entered the lab. "Status report."

"Not good. Looks like another failure," Kabuto informed him as more wooden spikes sprouted from Naruto's body.

The sannin shook his head. "Disappointing." He looked at the young girl who was holding the tube, tears leaving her eyes. "We may need to go to plan B with her," he whispered with Kabuto nodding.

The tears stopped when Hinata noticed something. Her Byakugan was still activated, so she noticed when red chakra appeared in Naruto's stomach where the seal was located. She watched as it traveled through his chakra network. His nails sharpened into claws and a faint red aura surrounded him. For a moment, it dominated his system, until Naruto's and the foreign chakra started to repel it, synchronizing in the process. It force the red chakra back into Naruto's stomach, where it disappeared. Naruto's features returned to normal and the wooden spikes rescinded. The boy looked as he did before.

Rushing to the monitors, Hinata found that all his vitals were stable. "He's alright," she said with relief as she passed out from all the excitement and lack of sleep.

Orochimaru and Kabuto walked to Naruto's tube. "Looks like the Nine-Tails wasn't ready to lose his host just yet," Kabuto commented.

The snake sannin nodded. "You know what to do."  
-

Hinata woke up, surprised to find herself in her bed, still in her normal attire. She was wondering how long she was out when she remembered a more important question. What was Naruto's current state? She dashed out of the room and ran down the hallway, nearly running into Kabuto. When she saw him, she stopped and asked, "Sensei! Is Naruto…"

"Alive, yes," he answered, anticipating her question. "It was a success. He is currently recovering in the med room. Now that you're awake, pack your things. We're moving out," he ordered.

"S-shouldn't we wait for Naruto to fully recover?" Hinata asked.

"He is not coming with us," Kabuto told her, to her surprise. "I am needed elsewhere and as my apprentice, you are coming with me. Naruto will remain with Lord Orochimaru. Now hurry, we are leaving soon."

"Can I a-at least say goodbye?" She did not want to be separated from Naruto but clearly she has no choice in the matter.

"No. He is not awake and as I told you I am in a hurry and will not wait. So if you wish to remain my student, go pack."

Hinata sighed, her shoulders slumped in defeat as she walked back to her room. She pack all her things, which wasn't much and was about to walk out the door when she turned to her desk. An idea popped into her head and she went over, took out a piece of paper and pen, and started writing.  
-

Orochimaru finished sealing away all the scrolls he intended to take with him and had the big scroll swallowed by a large snake. ' _Ah, the usefulness of the snakes. Much better than Tsunade's slugs and unlike Jiraiya and his toads, only Manda gives me trouble when summoned. Perhaps one day I'll find a way to solve that problem permanently.'_ Stepping out of his study he walked down the hall.

"Interesting place you have here."

Orochimaru froze. ' _I didn't even sense him.'_ He turned around. In front of him was Madara. "So it's true. I do have a traitor in my mists if you found this place without my spies alerting me first. How troublesome. I guess I'll have to deal with him, whoever he is. Though I'm surprised you'd come here yourself, Leader."

"Hmm, so you know that little detail."

"Oh yes, I was quite surprised to learn you were still alive."

Madara narrowed his visible eye, Sharingan blazing. "I noticed you are not wearing your uniform. Am I to understand you no longer wish to be apart of the Akatsuki?"

He was right. Orochimaru was no longer wearing his Akatsuki cloak. Now he wore his usual attire consisting of grey garbs over a black shirt and pants. He had a large purple rope belt with the knot at the back. "Yes, I'm afraid I no longer have any interest in your goals. Try not to be too upset."

"Before you leave, there is something I want. The experiment, where is it?" Madara demanded.

"I'm afraid I have my own plans for him. I'll have to decline."

"That wasn't a request," Madara stated.

"I figured as much."

For a moment, neither of them move. Both just stood there, staring the other down, daring the other to make the first move. Then Orochimaru's hands went through a series of handsigns, Madara's doing the same.

"Wind Style: Great Breakthrough!"

"Fire Style: Fireball Jutsu!"

When the two jutsu collided, the fireball grew larger, enhanced by the wind. Orochimaru's legs turned serpentine as he slithered away at high speeds to evade the flames. The hallway ended and he arrived in a large open room with a snake statue that spiraled around the walls and ended with the head in the center of the roof looking down. Orochimaru moved to the side, narrowly escaping a fiery demise.

"A foolish move on your part." Madara spiraled into existence in front of the sannin as his legs returned to normal. "To use wind against an Uchiha. Fire is our specialty, and our eyes can see all your moves." He showed his Sharingan eye through the eyehole on his mask to emphasize his point.

"You make it sound like I had something to worry about there," came Orochimaru's voice from behind him before a sword, the Kusanagi Blade, came out of Madara's chest, the Orochimaru in front of him turning into mud.

Strangely, Madara looked unfazed. "Interesting trick," he commented "But ultimately futile." With great speed, he quickly turned and sidestepped so the sword wasn't piercing his chest, then punched a surprised Orochimaru in the chest.

' _What is this? Genjutsu?'_ He jump back to put some distance between them and made a one-handed sign. "Release!" Nothing changed, but perhaps now he could hit his opponent. He threw his shuriken with his left hand as Madara charged. The shurikens passed through him and Orochimaru thought he had been caught in another genjutsu and again tried to dispel it. Once again, there was no difference in what Madara was doing. The Uchiha swung around, back fisting Orochimaru's right hand, knocking the sword out of his grip before side kicking him in the gut. ' _Not genjutsu, so it must be some kind of ninjutsu.'_

"Disappointing. I expected more of a challenge from the Third Hokage's prized student," Madara taunted as he sent a right hook at Orochimaru's face. Orochimaru's hand twitched and the Kusanagi Blade flew from the ground and pierced Madara's chest.

Like before, it had no effect, but what was curious was that Madara's attack phased through him. ' _So that's how it works. He can phase through attacks, but in order for him to fight back, he needs to be tangible.'_

Though he tried to hide it, Madara's Sharingan picked up subtle changes in Orochimaru's face that told him he figured out the flaw in his technique. And it proved true as the fight wore on. Whenever Madara attacked, Orochimaru would attack at the same time, forcing Madara to become intangible in order to avoid being killed, and therefore his attack phased though the sannin. Growing annoyed at the stalemate, and knowing that he would soon reach the limit of his jutsu, Madara jumped back. "I grow tired of this." The area in front of his eyehole became warped and two objects swirled into existence. The first was a sickle and the other caused the sannin's eyes to widen. It was a with gunbai with a black outline, six black tomoes and white bandages on the handle. "I see you recognize this weapon," he commented. "Let me show you how it works." He performed a series of handsigns, then grabs the gunbai with his left hand and swings it, releasing a large torrent of wind then immediately blowing fire into it (Despite the fact that his mouth is covered by the mask). The result was a burning tornado of flames that approached Orochimaru. The snake sannin dodged to the side, only to find the was a second and third tornado behind the first one that moved to the side so that no matter which was he dodged, he'd still be hit. The jutsu hit him, leaving nothing but ash.

But Madara knew better than to underestimate Orochimaru like that as the the sannin burst from the ground, swinging the Kusanagi Blade. Madara blocked with his gunbai. "Uchiha Reflection!" A burst of wind chakra came from the war fan, launching the sannin into the wall.

Groaning, the sannin got back up and stared at his opponent. ' _This will take longer than expected.'_

As Kimimaro and Jugo watch over Naruto, they heard the sounds of Orochimaru's battle. Kimimaro wanted to fight alongside his master, but Orochimaru's orders were explicit. He and Jugo were to guard Naruto until he woke. Then they were to leave the facility as quickly as possible and send word of their departure via a small snake waiting outside in the event he had not yet dealt with the intruder. The rest Orochimaru's men had already vacated the area.

Madara blocked the sword with his fan and bisected Orochimaru with the sickle. Snakes erupted from the two halves, intertwining and pulling him back together. He jumped back. Both combatants were panting, but Orochimaru seemed to be more drained. 'Looks like I'll be using that jutsu after all _.'_ "You're better than I thought. Luckily, I have something special for you." He clasped his hands together. "Summoning Jutsu: Reanimation!"

A coffin rose from the ground standing up. Madara could guessed what was inside. ' _That could be a problem.'_ He prepared himself for a difficult battle but was soon left in utter shock.

For when the lid fell to the ground, it wasn't First Hokage Hashirama Senju or even his brother, the Second Hokage who was inside. No, inside was a girl about 13 to 14 years old, with dark brown hair cut at chin length and purple rectangular marks on her cheeks, wearing a long-sleeve black top, black shorts under a light purple apron skirt, red stockings, and ninja sandals. On her forehead was the Leaf headband. Her face had many cracks in it, until Orochimaru placed a kunai with a tag inside her through the back of her neck. Most of the cracks disappeared except for a few, most notably one that ran from the bridge of her nose to her right cheek. She opened her brown eyes, the sclera grey. She looked around, evidently confused. "What's going on?"  
-

Alpha: Guess who?

Naruto: I know! I know! It's…

Alpha: Not you, the reader!

Naruto: I knew that.

Alpha: Sure. (Rolls eyes) Hope people liked this chapter. A little action at the end there. And a time skip coming up soon.

Hinata: Will I be with Naruto again soon?

Alpha: Depends on your definition of "soon". If it's like mine, then no.

Sakura: Your definition of "soon" is less than what it takes to make a frozen pizza.

Alpha: It takes way too long to cook.

Naruto: I know what you mean. Instant Ramen is not instant at all! Those three minutes are torture.


	9. Chapter 9 Reunion and Separartion

A/N: I just want to make this clear. Orochimaru knows a lot, but he doesn't know everything.

Chapter 9: Reunion and Separation

She looked around. ' _Where am I? What's Orochimaru doing here? And who's this masked man in front of me?'_ Another thought crossed her mind. ' _How am I alive?'_

Madara stared at the young reanimated teen Orochimaru summoned. This was completely unexpected. "What is this?" he asked, trying to hide his anger by sounding more confused.

"What's wrong, Obito? Aren't you happy to see Rin again?" Orochimaru asked, making Madara go stiff. Rin's eyes widened as she looked from Orochimaru to the masked man. "That's right, I know who you really are. I admit, I was surprised to learn you survived Kanabi Bridge. And claiming to be Madara Uchiha too."

A sigh was heard. "It seems you've been looking deeper into our organization than I originally thought," Obito said, his voice not as deep as before.

"What can I say? When I'm interested in something, I'm very thorough in my investigation," Orochimaru told him.

Rin was still in a state of shock. Obito was alive! And standing right in front of her.

"However, reanimating her during our fight was a mistake. Tell me Orochimaru, what did you hope to gain by doing so? She is a medic, not a fighter and would not give you any significant advantage. So what? Confirmation of who I am? Such knowledge is meaningless. I am no longer the Obito the world once knew."

Rin's expression turned from shock to confusion. What did he mean by that?

"I can tell. Being the leader of a group of S-class missing nin is not something I'd expect from the weakly I remember you to be."

"Leader of a group of missing nin? Obito, what is he talking about?" Rin asked.

"Ah, now I see," Obito said, ignoring Rin's question. "You intend to gain an advantage by inflicting emotional pain. Clever, but useless against me." He looks at Rin briefly before turning back to Orochimaru. "There is nothing in my heart. I don't feel anymore pain." He hefted his gunbai and rested it on his shoulder while he pointed his kama at the snake sannin. "Last chance. Give me the wood style experiment."

"Here's my answer."

Rin suddenly felt stiff for a second before moving against her will, charging at Obito with a kunai in hand. "Obito look out!" Obito did not move and when she reached him, she phased right through him. He then charged at Orochimaru, who used his Striking Shadow Snakes jutsu. Obito cut them with his kama and brought his gunbai up to block Orochimaru's sword as the sannin slashed downward. "Behind you Obito!" Orochimaru's weapon suddenly went through the gunbai as a kunai went through Obito's stomach and nearly hit the sannin had he not dodged in time.

As Orochimaru jumped back and sent a glare to Rin before making a quick handsign. Rin went stiff once more. Now her sclera was black and the rest of her eyes were white. Her face lost all trace of emotion.

Orochimaru looked back at Obito and noticed something odd. He had sent his weapons back to whereever he had transported them from. The Uchiha rushed at him and Orochimaru stabbed at him, expecting him to phase through once again, then have Rin attack the moment he became tangible. But instead, Obito moved to the side, Orochimaru's blade cutting his side. Orochimaru felt a pain in his gut and looked down in shock. A wooden stake was sticking out of Obito's palm, impaling the sannin. ' _He possesses wood style too? How?'_ The young Uchiha pulled the stake out of the snake's gut and swiped at him. Orochimaru jumped back, but Obito cut the stake at the bottom and threw it like a javelin at the sannin. Orochimaru smirked as Rin jumped in the way, and the sannin stopped suppressing her personality. Rin blink, her eyes returning to the state they were in before, just as the wooden stake pierced her, making her cry out. The scream became louder as the branches multiplied, sticking out of her in various spots.

Obito froze while the sannin laughed. "What was that you said earlier? There's nothing in my heart? I don't feel pain anymore? Doesn't look that way to me."

Obito glared at the sannin. "I don't." He made a few handsigns and slammed his hands on the ground. "And soon, neither will you."

Wooden roots sprang from the ground around Orochimaru, ensnaring the sannin and lifting him in the air. Rin watched in amazement as Obito utilized the First Hokage's jutsu. ' _What has happened since I last saw him? I need answers. But with Orochimaru controlling my body…'_

Thicker tree root sprouted from the ground soon after and started to twist into each other around the sannin, intent on crushing him. Orochimaru struggled against the roots to no avail, so with no choice, he opened his mouth, and another Orochimaru came out, like a snake shedding it's skin. Free of the binds, he quickly escaped before the roots could crush him. "My, my. Are you full of surprises." He noticed behind Obito a black snake. "But I'm afraid playtime is over. Got places to be, secrets to uncover, people to experiment on… You understand."

"You will not escape me," Obito declared.

"We'll see." He made a handsign, activating many explosive tags hidden throughout the base. "Goodbye Obito. Next time, you won't have the advantage of surprise." Orochimaru slithered away. Obito tried to follow, but he couldn't grab the sannin because the explosions forced him to become intangible. Growling in frustration, Obito was forced to swirl away.  
-

Outside the base, Kimimaro and Jugo waited for Orochimaru with Naruto, who was now awake and dressed in his usual attire. He was a little upset to hear that Hinata had already left with Kabuto. He had hoped to at least say goodbye since he didn't know when the next time he would see her. They heard the explosions and soon after Orochimaru came out just as the cave entrance collapsed. "Lord Orochimaru! Are you alright?" Kimimaro asked, concerned for his master's wellbeing. He could tell he was fatigued.

"I'm fine. Take Jugo to the Northern Hideout, then regroup with the rest of your team and await my instructions," Orochimaru ordered before turning to Naruto. "You are coming with me. I will be taking your training to the next level. And know this, my expectations are high and failure will not be tolerated."

Naruto smirked. "Bring it on! I can take anything you throw at me, believe it!"

' _We shall see,'_ Orochimaru thought.

Naruto turned to his friends. "I guess this is goodbye for now," Naruto said sadly.

Jugo and Kimimaro were sad to say goodbye too. "So long Naruto. Train hard and serve Lord Orochimaru well," the bone kekkei genkai wielder said.

"Farewell, my friend. I do hope we meet again," Jugo told him.

"Yeah, and I'm sure you'll be able to control that berserker state of yours by then," Naruto added, expressing his full confidence in his friend.

"I hope so," he responded, a little unsure of himself, as he and Kimimaro left.

"Let's go," Orochimaru said as he walked away in a different direction.

Naruto followed him. As they traveled, Naruto reached in his bag. Kimimaro said Hinata had left something in there, what he did not know. ' _I hope it's something yummy,'_ Naruto thought, a bit of drool leaving the corner of his mouth at the thought. Looking in, he found no food but instead a note.

 _Dear Naruto,_

 _I wish I could have said goodbye in person, but sensei said we had to leave immediately. I just wanted to wish you luck. I know you'll get really strong._

 _That's why I want to do the same. I told you that I would become a great medic so I could heal you when you're hurt, and become strong so I can fight alongside you. I meant it, and I never got back on my word. That's my ninja way too._

 _Love_ _Sincerely,_

 _Hinata_

Naruto smiled brightly and put the letter back in his bag. He looked up into the air and pointed his fist upward. ' _I will, Hinata. And we'll be the strongest duo ever! Believe it!'_

Orochimaru didn't know why the boy suddenly got so cheery, but it didn't matter. The snake sannin had a powerful tool to mold to his desire that will shake the Village Hidden in the Leaves. He looked back at where his base was. ' _And a little something to pester Obito.'_

Obito swirled in front of the ruins of the old base. ' _Damn that Orochimaru. I need to catch up to him. He knows too much.'_

Behind him, Rin reformed, having been blown to bits by the explosion. ' _I'll figure out how I did that later. First…'_ "Obito!" she shouted.

Obito stiffened for a sec, but did not turn around. ' _Ignore her Obito,'_ he thought to himself. ' _You have business. And she not alive. Not really.'_

"Obito please look at me!" she pleaded. "I don't understand. How are you alive? Why aren't you with the Leaf? Why are you leading criminals? Why are you pretending to be someone else?" Too many questions were in her head. Still, Obito did not turn. "Please, Obito."

A sigh was heard. Obito slowly turned around and put a hand on his mask. He removed it, showing his face to Rin. She gasped. The right half of his body that she could see was heavily scarred. His left eye was closed, probably due to that fact that Kakashi had that eye now, but his right eye was opened, showing his Sharingan. "It's been awhile, Rin."

Despite what she heard Orochimaru said, she was overjoyed at seeing her best friend alive. "Obito, I'm so happy to see you, but why didn't you come back?"

"I was hurt really badly Rin. The right half of my body was crushed. Parts of it need to be replaced. It was a miracle the old man who found me managed to save my life. I had to undergo rehabilitation, during which all I could think of was returning to you and Kakashi. I left when I heard you and he were in trouble and Minato-sensei wasn't around to help you, so I rushed after you guys and arrived just in time," Obito's Sharingan changed to it's Mangekyo form "to watch you die."

Rin gasped as the memory of Kakashi's Lightning Blade piercing her heart came to mind. "Y-you saw that?"

Obito nodded. "Yes, I watched you die at Kakashi's hand. And when the Mist ANBU tried to recover your body, I slaughtered them all, before leaving. Now I lead a group of missing nin in order to capture the tailed beast."

"Why?"

Obito opened his left eye. "Because this reality is Hell."

Rin gasped at seeing a Sharingan in Obito's left eye. "Obito, did you… Is Kakashi…"

"This eye is not my own," Obito explained, point to the left one, which was not a Mangekyo. "It is a 'donation' from my one of my clansmen." The way he said donation made Rin doubt it was willing. "Kakashi is still very much alive and in possession of my other eye."

She let out the breath she was holding, glad Kakashi was still alive. "Obito, there's something you need to know about that day."

"I already know everything. How you were captured by the Hidden Mist and made to be the Three-Tails jinchūriki. How they let Kakashi rescue so you would return to the Leaf, where your seal would release the beast and destroy the village and in order to stop it, you jumped in the way of Kakashi's jutsu to commit suicide."

"But I'm not dead. I don't know how but I'm right here now. We can go back to the Leaf together. I'm sure Kakashi and Minato-sensei will be thrilled to see us," Rin argued.

Obito shook his head. "That's not true. You are merely the result of a jutsu designed to bind the soul of the deceased to a body, allowing one to reanimate the dead as their puppet. That's why Orochimaru was able to control your body, because you are not truly alive." Rin looked down and digested this information. She was unprepared for what he said next. "Besides, I only said Kakashi was alive."

"Minato-sensei's…" Obito nodded. "How?"

"You don't wanna know," Obito warned her.

"How, Obito?" Rin demanded.

He sighed. "After you died, sensei was made Fourth Hokage. And as time passed, Lady Kushina became pregnant."

"S-sensei was gonna be a father?" Rin asked in surprise. She remembered some of her talks with Kushina. How she and Minato planned be parents and hoped one of them would be the child's or children's sensei.

Obito nodded. "I imagine he was overjoyed at the news. He certainly looked happy before he noticed my presence."

"Before… Obito what did you do?" Rin asked, fearful of the answer.

"You know that Lady Kushina was the jinchūriki of the Nine-Tailed Fox. She and sensei entrusted us with that detail. But when a jinchūriki is pregnant, the seal that contains the tailed beast is weaken, the energy used to maintain it is transfer to the growing child. This was the case with Kushina. Her seal was weak from childbirth, the perfect opportunity to extract the Nine-Tails from her. And a jinchuriki cannot survive without their tailed beast."

"Y-you killed Lady Kushina?" she said in disbelief. Sure, she and Obito often argued, but Rin could see how much they really care for each other. She couldn't believe he would do such a thing.

"Sortof. She survived the initial extraction thanks to her Uzumaki longevity, but even with that, she wouldn't live very long. I took control of the beast with my Sharingan, and summoned it in the middle of the village, where it went on a rampage." Rin turned away, not sure if she wanted to hear anymore, but Obito continued. "Sensei prepared to use his jutsu to transport the fox out of the village, but I intercepted him. With no choice we fought, during which he tried to ascertain my identity, never realising he was fighting his former student. Eventually he got the upper hand and used a contract seal to sever my connection to the Nine-Tails and force me to retreat. He then used a forbidden sealing jutsu that cost him his life in order to seal half the Nine-Tails power in himself."

"And the other half?" Rin asked. "Where did it go?"

"Into his son, Naruto." Obito answered.

"And what about him now? Did you do anything to him?" Rin demanded.

"No. I have not touched the boy." Rin sighed in relief. "But I do not know what has become of him. He ran away from the Hidden Leaf sometime ago, unable to bear the resentment of the villagers for what he carries. I don't know where he went or if he's still alive. After all, the world can be harsh to a seven year old."

For a moment, Rin was silent. This wasn't the Obito she remembered. The smiling child who proclaimed he was going to be Hokage. The boy who was always helping people, especially the elderly and was always late. Who was usually cheery and tried to act tough when something happened to him. The Obito in front of her was not like that at all. "Why?" she demanded. "Why'd you do it? If it's just because I died…"

"You death merely opened my eyes to the truth. To me, this world is fake. Kakashi and Minato-sensei were prodigies, geniuses in the shinobi arts. Yet whenever it matter the most, they failed. How can I accept a world like that? Or a world where one had to died at the hands of the person they loved as you did?" Rin looked away. "And that is not the only example. I have travel all across the Elemental Nation. In this world, the cost of one's happiness is another suffering. That is the simple truth. For there to be winners, there must be losers. It is unavoidable. It is not your death but this accursed world that brings me despair. This world that has killed the old me." Obito turned his back to her. "That is why I must tear down this meaningless reality, and replace it with the genjutsu world of Infinite Tsukuyomi. A world of only winners. Where Kakashi will no longer suffer from the guilt of letting you die. Where Minato-sensei and Lady Kushina will be able to raise their son in peace. Where you will live once more, and we can be the team we could have been had I not been crushed by those boulders. And I'll do anything and kill anyone who gets in my way."

Rin looked at Obito in surprise. "Obito, that's… that's…" She feel to her knees.

"That's why I told you what I've done. Because it doesn't matter if this you hates me, because to me you are not the real Rin." He looked off into the distance. "I have wasted too much time. Orochimaru has no doubt gotten away." He turned his head back toward Rin, who still had the look of shock. "Before I go, let me just say this. When I nearly died, what I regretted most, was that I never told you how much I loved you."

That snapped Rin out of her current state. ' _He… loved me?'_ Kakashi had told her after his supposed death that Obito had strong feelings for her. ' _But I never thought he loved me.'_ Looking back at Obito, she saw the space in front of him become warped and she guessed what was happening. "Obito wait!" She got up and ran after him. "Obito!" She dove after him, but before she reached him, he swirled around. "Obito wait! Come back!" she cried out, but there was no change. Obito was gone. She sat down and brought her knees to her chest. Then she cried. Cried for what her best friend had become, and because she knew it was her fault.  
-

Obito swirled into existence in a secret cave base. There was a metal table with stacks of papers and files. To his right was shelves full of jars containing Sharingan eyes, taken from the Uchiha he killed when he assisted Itachi in the massacre. He slammed his orange spiral mask on the table, then flipped it over and shouted in frustration. "AAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRGH!" He punch the wall repeatedly with his right hand. "Damn you Orochimaru!" He punched harder and harder until his hand was white paste and the wall had numerous cracks around the crater he formed. He leaned against the wall and slide down, a lone tear falling from his right eye. ' _Rin, I'm sorry. But I'll make everything right. In the new world I will create, where you and I can be together. And things will be as they should.'_

Alpha: Shikamaru what are you doing on the roof?

Shikamaru: Watching the clouds.

Alpha: Sounds boring.

Shikamaru: I'm perfectly content.

Alpha: I don't get. Mind I join so I can find out.

Shikamaru: No really.

Alpha: (Lays next to him. A few minutes pass.) I'm bored. Ooh, that one looks like a doggy.

Shikamaru: I guess it does.

Alpha: I gotta say, it's surprisingly comfy. Nice and warm.

Shikamaru: (Yawns) Perfect for a nap.

Alpha: Yeah, but I'm not tired.

(Ten minutes pass)

Naruto: Alpha, you up here? (Sees Alpha and Shikamaru napping) Great, his laziness is starting to rub off of him.


End file.
